Looking For My True Love
by persian85033
Summary: Princess Serenity's 16th birthay is here, and she must pick from several suitors from all over the Galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

"What are you doing out here again?"asked a voice.

Princess Serenity turned around. She saw one of her guardians, Princess Venus.

"I was looking at the Earth."

Princess Venus looked at the sky. From the moon, instead of seeing a silvery orb, there was a view of a blue and white marble.

"What attraction could the closest planet have?"she asked. "Anyway, the Queen wants to see us in the throne room. All of us. Right away."

They walked inside from the balcony, and down several long corridors. They reached a large hall, with a white marble floor, and silver gleaming walls, and a high ceiling, where opposite of them stood a large throne where Queen Serenity sat. Everyone bowed, and stood, waiting to be addressed.

"As we know, my daughter's sixteenth birthday is approaching. That means that soon we will have several suitors visiting."

"Oh, that means that we'll have several visiting at once, won't we? And we'll give a lot of parties, won't we?"Princess Venus asked.

"Of course. They'll begin arriving soon, so I expect you to see to all that, Venus."she said.

"Everything will be done perfectly, Your Majesty."


	2. Chapter 2

"Is that all?"asked Kunzite, looking strictly at the other three.

"We've been working like slaves in here!"complained Jedeite.

Kunzite threw him a harsh look.

"We need to have everything ready. Everything perfect."he said. "We don't have to cause a bad impression, do we? Think what that would mean to the Prince? To the Queen!"he said, frowning.

"Well, unless you want to travel in the luggage yourself, there's nothing else! I mean, everything is packed, everything that we need, that the Prince would need, now we just need to get ourselves in the ship, and we're off. Everything, down to every detail, you can check yourself."

Jedeite held up a piece of paper, in which Kunzite had written down specific instructions as to how everything had to be done.

"And it's all checked! Couldn't we get some time off before we leave? At least to say good bye to everything and everybody? We might not come back for a while, you know."

Kunzite looked critically around the room, inspecting things. At last, he seemed satisfied.

"Well, all right. But first we should go over a few things. I wouldn't put it past any of you to screw up, or something. I brought another list with me."

They groaned.

"Now is that how you're planning to act?"

"No! We know how we're supposed to act! When have you ever seen any of us do anything wrong or inappropriate in public?!"

"Only because I'm there to keep an eye on the three of you, otherwise, I'm sure you wouldn't behave at all."

"Well, that's a credit to you, isn't it?"Nephrite offered. "It obviously means we listen to you, and that at least some of your teachings are learned, doesn't it?"

"Stop joking!"he said. "Now line up!"

"Well, at least we got that over with! Hopefully now that we're going to the Moon, he'll concentrate more on how the Prince behaves than on how we behave! After all, wouldn't this be very important? I've heard it tons and tons of times. If the Prince marries their Princess, it would mean, well, I'm not sure I understand some of the things they say, but I do get the idea that it's what they want. And if that's the King and Queen want, then it's probably what Kunzite wants, too."Jedeite said, joyfully, almost bouncing on his feet.

"Do any of you have any idea what it's like? I've been at the Imperial Library, looking up any information I could get my hands on, and apparently, the royal court on the Moon sounds more exciting than here. Or perhaps it's just because I've never been there but heard so much about it. Do you suppose there'll be much competition for the Prince there? I heard that suitors from all over the Galaxy will be there."iquired Zoicite.

"Oh, if Kunzite will be keeping an eye on the Prince, I don't think he'll have much of a problem. When Kunzite decides he wants something, he's not going to rest until he gets it. And right now what he wants is to have the Moon Princess choose Prince Endymion above all the others."said Nephrite confidentally. "I'd be more worried about what we're going to do in all the spare time we're going to have while Kunzite will be concentrating on that."

"We'll never have any spare time!"whined Jedeite. "He'll probably make us help with chores, or something, saying that it'll help learn some responsibility or something if nothing else!"

Nephrite looked alarmed.

"You know what, Jedeite's right!"he exclaimed. "Maybe the best thing would be for Kunzite to not come along, after all!"

"But that's impossible!"said Zoicite. "Kunzite has to come!"

"Not if he has a _disastrous_ accident, he can't."

The other two looked at him, confused.

"Well, suppose he tripped over something, and broke his leg."

"A broken leg would never stop Kunzite."

"Damn, you're right!"

Nephrite frowned.

"Well, maybe not here. But once we get there."he suggested. "Then he'll have to stay bedridden, or something."


	3. Chapter 3

"This is a disaster!"exclaimed Princess Venus, glancing at the timepiece on the mantel. "Just look at the time, and we're not even halfway done!"

"Well, we'll just write down what we need to do, and stick to a schedule."suggested Princess Mercury.

"Excellent idea! And we'll assign everything to everyone, too!"

"But no one starts arriving until next week."intervened Princess Jupiter.

"But what if we forget something?!"

"We won't. Or maybe we will, if we keep running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Well, Mars, have you consulted the flames, and have any idea as to who the lucky Prince will be?"

"We'll know when she sees him."Lady Venus told them.

"I thought _she_ would know."said Mars.

"Well, yes, but, think, we might be able to get engaged as well!"

"The suitors will be interested in Princess Serenity, Venus, not us."Mercury reminded her.

"Well, yes, but there's only one of her, isn't there? There'll be tons of them!"

"We're supposed to get this organized. There's supposed to be a grand ball once everyone arrives. We have the ball to organize, the dinner party, everything. And, of course, where everyone and their subjects will stay. Who gets what guestrooms, and so forth."

"Why can't the staff manage the decorations? I took care of the invitations."grumbled Jupiter.

Her hand was still sore from having written out thousands of invitations, while Mars sealed them. Venus clapped her hands.

"This has to be perfect! Besides, don't complain, we're not organizing the wedding yet. That will come after. Now, we have to get back to work. I have to go the ballroom, and see about that marble floor! I want it sparkling!"

Mercury got up.

"Well, it's almost time for the Princess's lesson, so I guess I should get going. I'll be back as soon as we finish."she promised, and walked out of the room.

"And I guess I better oversee that menu. We'll be in trouble even one dish isn't perfect."said Jupiter, and she exited after Mercury.

"Right, leave me here!"grumbled Mars.

"I'll help you."offered Luna. "I know I can't do very much, but I can certainly help you avoid mistakes."

"Thanks, Luna."she said. "I guess it is better if you caught me at anything, than if someone else did later on."

They exited the room together.

"Well, what do you think?"asked Jupiter, as they watched the table being set.

As a rule, now everyone had to sample all the dishes, before deciding which ones were going to make it on to the menu. Of course, Jupiter was the best cook in the entire Galaxy, everyone knew that, but they had decided to choose only the best of the best for the party, and no one missed out on sampling her cooking, anyway.

"It'll be hard to pretend we're not interested in the food."sighed Princess Serenity.

"Well, we'll just eat beforehand. That way we won't have any appetite left for dinner."said Venus. "You know you can-"

"Always tell a lady by the fact that she eats like a bird. Gentlemen don't like ladies who eat a lot."finished Mars. "We know, we know."

"For every meal?"asked Mercury.

"For as long as the Princess's suitors are here, yes."sighed Venus.

"Don't let the your back touch your chair!"Mars reminded Princess Serenity. "This is going to the longest who knows how long of my life!"she complained, taking a sip of wine. "We can't afford any mistakes! Just one, and you might end up without a husband, Princess!"

"We simply have to relax."Mercury said. "If we stop thinking about it, then no one will make any mistakes."

"Let's hope so."said Jupiter. "And what about the wines?"she asked suddenly. "Which ones are we going to serve?"

They heard Venus drop her fork.

"The wine! I forgot all about that! We have to go and take the best ones! How could I have forgotten! Just what we need, to have dinner served, and only the worse drinks!"

"Well, let's not think about that just right now. Wait until we decide on the menu first, then we'll worry about the drinks."


	4. Chapter 4

They went over the menus carefully, and rechecked everything carefully.

"Well, I think everything's ready."said Venus.

"Well, then I guess we should start greeting them."said Mars.

They walked out onto the Palace grounds, and greeted everyone as they arrived. Several arrived with their own guardians, and some even with their own staff.

"What do you think?"asked Zoicite, as one of the valets led them to the rooms they would be staying.

"First, I'd say we should be concentrating on unpacking."said Jedeite. "Kunzite won't be happy if he comes and finds that we aren't unpacked."

"I say we should concentrate on getting to know the Moon better. To be honest, I've always been curious. Do you think we'll be able to see the Earth from here? I've heard it looks like a big blue marble."

Jedeite began taking their things out, and putting them away.

"Well, at least the Palace isn't so bad. It's almost as nice as the Golden Palace."

"What are we going to wear to the ball tonight?"

"What else? Our uniforms. Kunzite said so."

"Damn."Nephrite frowned. "Not that I don't like them, but don't you think we should stand out from everyone else?"

Jedeite shrugged.

"Kunzite's orders."

"Well, you're the one who's good at this sort of thing, Venus."said Jupiter. "Who do you think is most likely to be the Princess's true love?"

They'd been watching them from a distance, each one holding a pair of binoculars.

"Hmm,"Venus thought. "Well, I did discard a couple. One looked like a complete jerk. Another like a complete idiot. Did you see how he just stared all around him? One would think he'd never seen anything like the Moon Palace before. He almost tripped, not knowing where he was going, just from looking at the fountains!"

"Where is he from, do you think?"asked Mars.

"Probably from the Periphery."supplied Mercury. "The Periphery isn't as civilized as the rest of the Galaxy. After all, they are so far away from everyone and everything. It's not their fault, but that's just how they're affected by the position of their planets. Of course, there are some civilized planets there. But not many, really."

"Ugh."

"And how do they live over there?"asked Mars. "Like savages?"

"I really don't know."

"Probably never even seen a proper thing in their lives. Did you see how they were dressed?"

"It did seem very provincial."said Mercury.

"And to think we're going to have to put up with that?!"

"Well, hopefully, the Princess will choose soon."said Jupiter. "And of course, we know Venus will help her make the right choice."

Venus smiled.

"No doubt about that!"said Venus. "Well, it's almost time for us to take tea with the Princess. I'll bet she's dying to hear everything, too. And we have to see about that dress!"

They walked back inside, and went in where the tea was already set. Princess Serenity joined them.

"Well, did you see them all?"she asked, sipping her cup of tea. "What did you think?"

"They all looked okay, except for a couple."said Venus, buttering herself a crumpet.

"I _really_ don't think you should even speak to those!"said Mars.

"You never know,"said Mercury.

"But even Venus doesn't like them, and we both know that Venus is the authority on matchmaking. Who better than a Venusian to tell you who's right for you, and especially Princess Venus."confirmed Jupiter.

The Princess sipped her tea nervously.

"But don't worry, I'm sure everything will be fine."said Jupiter.

The Princess smiled.

"I hope so. I'm just so nervous! I'm afraid I'll forget everything and make a fool of myself!"

"No, you won't."


	5. Chapter 5

The four guardians and several maids, helped the Princess get ready for the ball, while Luna and Artemis, the royal advisors supervised.

"Hmm, I think there's a strand of hair loose!"exclaimed Luna. "Put it back with the rest! What we need is our Princess with untamed hair! How unsightly!"

"I think that scent is a little too strong. Achoo!"said Artemis.

When she was finally ready, Princess Serenity wore a small tiara, her dress floated around her. Her earrings reached to her shoulders, but did not seem to weighed down.

"You look wonderful, Princess!"exclaimed Jupiter.

Each of the guardians was wearing new dresses as well, although none of theirs stood out as much as Princess Serenity's. Mercury looked at the clock on the mantelpiece.

"Well, it's almost time to go! We don't want to be late! It wouldn't give a good image to be late!"said Mercury.

"Then let's go."

In the great marble hall below, all the suitors waited. Some had gathered into groups to discuss politics, or other issues, while they waited for the Princess, one stood completely apart from the rest. Everyone was curious to see just how the Princess Serenity, princess of the most unique and powerful star in the Galaxy differed from what was said about her on their worlds. They eyed each other nervously, while sipping champagne. Who among them would the Moon Princess consider commendable?

Zoicite and Nephrite looked around the hall at the several paintings that hung on the walls. Jedeite seemed more interested in the waiters bringing small bites, and drinks than in his surroundings. Kunzite stood next to the prince, sometimes pointing out certain people to him, and whispering advise in his ear.

"I think he's just making him nervous."said Nephrite. "That's no way to act around a lady. What would Kunzite know?"

Zoicite sipped his wine.

"Well, he _is_ the oldest, you know."

"Exactly! That's why if the prince listens to Kunzite, he'll never win the princess. Kunzite probably doesn't even know what he's talking about."

"How do you know?"

"I just do!"

"Just remember-"

"For the hundredth thousandth billionth time, Mercury, she'll do just fine. It'll be just like any other ball. Music, dancing…"said Mars, as they walked down the corridor to the staircase.

"What do you think they'll be like?"asked Jupiter. "I mean, we've seen them, but we haven't even spoken to them!"

"They're not interested in us!"Mercury reminded her. "But in the Princess!"

"And you always have to keep reminding us!"exclaimed Venus. "Well, we're almost there."she said, as they reached the last corridor, and the top landing of the stairs was in view.

"All right."

Everyone looked, and gave the princess's hair one last pat, straightened her gown, and eyed her one last time before she crossed the corridor, and the hundreds of suitors from all over the Galaxy saw her for the first time.

"I still say we should have saved this for a portrait!"

"Stop it! You're only making her more nervous!"

"You're all making me more nervous! I'm fine! I'm fine! Give me my fan!"

Mars handed the princess her large feather fan.

"We'll be walking right behind you."

In the hall, suddenly all the voices stopped, as they all eyes turned towards the stairs, where Princess Serenity, Princess of the Silver Millenium of the Moon made her way followed by the four Planetary Princesses who were her guardians.


	6. Chapter 6

"The Moon Princess really _is_ quite a good match for Prince Endymion, don't you think?"Nephrite commented.

"Nephrite!"exclaimed Zoicite.

Nephrite shrugged.

"I sort of like the one in green better, though."said Nephrite looking behind the Princess, at Princess Jupiter who stood behind her on her left side.

Zoicite scoffed.

"Where's Jedeite!"demanded Kunzite, causing both of them to jump.

"I think he's still by the refreshments, I think."

"That idiot!"he exclaimed. "What does he think he's doing?! Drinking!"

Kunzite rushed past them.

"There'll be plenty to drink at dinner, I think."

In the great ballroom, opposite the great doors, on a raised platforms were the musicians. One of them, Princess Neptune, who had abandoned her post at Triton Castle, began playing her violin. Princess Neptune was known throughout the Galaxy for her musical talent.

"Who should we dance with first?"asked Jedeite eagerly, looking around.

"No one. The party is mostly the suitors. A couple of other people invited, but they all have dance partners most of them. How come we don't get dance cards!"demanded Nephrite.

He watched as each of the suitors, and all the ladies received small cards from the valets.

"Cause we're only one Prince's guardians, remember? Kunzite told us to observe carefully, what others are saying, doing, and what pleases the Princess most about each one, to report back to him, so Prince Endymion can have a better advantage. He's determined to make this work out."

"Isn't he always?"asked Nephlite in a bored voice. "And we're just supposed to stand here all night? This is supposed to be a ball!"

"Well, Kunzite said we're supposed to be on duty."Jedeite interfered.

"Yeah, that's why you were stuffing your face back there!"

Jedeite blushed slightly.

"I was hungry."

"Well, I'm not going to stand around! No matter what Kunzite says!"

The other two stared at him, as though they hadn't heard quite right.

"He won't even notice. Ah, I like this waltz. I'm going to dance it. And I'm going to ask just the one lady who was behind the Princess to dance with me."

He walked towards Princess Jupiter. She stood just by one of the pillars, fanning herself with a green peacock feather fan.

"You must be one of Princess Serenity's guardians, am I right?"he asked her.

"Yes. I'm the Princess of Jupiter."she said, offering her hand.

He bent over her hand, and kissed it.

"I'm Nephlite. I came with Prince Endymion of Earth."

She smiled.

"Well, I wish your prince good luck. Although that's really for Princess Venus to say."she smiled.

"Doesn't the Princess choose for herself?"

"Well, yes, but Venusians are excellent matchmakers. They know whom is right for whom."

"I wonder what she'd say of me. Why don't we dance?"

She looked taken aback.

"What? Oh, no, I can't dance tonight. Not at the Princess's debut ball. You see, the Princess has her own debut ball, so there's no one else to take the splendor from her. She's the center of attention that way. There'll be several balls, of course, where everyone can dance. For the suitors to get to know the Princess and everything, but this one if for her alone. That's the custom. Of course, some older, married ladies can dance, just not young belles, you know. Here, the only belle is her."

"That's a pity."he said.

She smiled and shrugged.

"Well, it's only for one night. There's usually at least one ball a week, if not two or more. We've been preparing everything for ages. It must pretty hard to be the center of attention for so many! They notice your every move! But, of course, then come the gifts. So, what have you brought from Earth?"

"I can't tell you."

"Oh, I won't tell anyone! I can keep a secret."

He sipped his champagne.

"Well, I'll tell you only on one condition."

"Oh?"

"You can't leave my side until they start bringing the gifts. Then I'll be positive you can't tell anyone."

"Can't you just take my word?"she demanded.

"Nope. It'd be more than my life if Kunzite finds out I let anything slip."

"Oh, all right. But tell me!"

"Well, it's roses. Red roses."

"I've seen pictures of the roses at the Golden Palace on Earth!"she exclaimed. "Of course, the ones we have on Jupiter are nothing like them at all! I don't know, I can never seem to grow them in my gardens. It must be something in the soil? The light? It'd be wonderful to see bunches of them brought here! I'm sure the Princess will be _very_ pleased."


	7. Chapter 7

"Where'd Nephrite go?"asked Kunzite, frowning.

"He said he was going to dance."said Jedeite.

Kunzite frowned.

"With who?"

"One of the Princess's guardians, I think."

Kunzite looked like he was about to explode, then changed his mind. He smiled.

"You know, what a stroke a brilliance I never expected from Nephrite!"he said. "Who else would know the Princess better than her guardians? Maybe instead of standing there, what you two should do is follow his example!"he looked at his watch. "Well, it'll soon be time for the gifts. I want you two to do exactly what Nephrite's doing, then I want a complete report at the end of each week, no, make that each day, of exactly what the guardians tell you about the Princess. Her likes, dislikes, whose caught her favor, why, anything! I'll be expecting the first one tomorrow, is that clear?"he didn't wait for an answer, but rushed out.

"I guess you'll have to let me go soon."said Princess Jupiter. "The gifts are usually opened at midnight."she said. "It'll strike midnight in only a few minutes. I really can't wait to see those roses!"she sighed. "Don't you have a few spare ones I could take with me?"

"Only if the Princess comes to a ball holding a bouquet of them."he answered.

"That's not up to me."she said, seriously. "And we've been sitting her almost all night, someone might start wondering where we are."

She and Nephrite had left the ballroom, gone out on the terrace, and taken a walk around the gardens, until they sat by a fountain in a courtyard, where they'd been gazing at the sky for hours.

"I shouldn't have lost track of the time like that!"he exclaimed. "Kunzite will be furious."

"Well, I never really enjoyed the balls too much when there was no dancing. And there would've been no dancing tonight."she said, smiling.

They made their way back. Princess Jupiter took her place by Princess Serenity.

"Where have you been all evening?"hissed Princess Mars.

"Socializing with our foreign guests."she replied.

Mars rolled her eyes.

"Well, at least you're here now."

"Who's is going to be opened first."asked Jupiter eagerly.

"What did you think of everyone?"asked Mercury the next morning, as they sat in the Princess's morning room.

"Anyone caught your eye yet?"asked Mars.

"Well, I only danced with everyone once."said Serenity.

"Well, someone did catch my eye."said Jupiter.

Everyone turned to stare.

"You?"

"But they're the Princess's suitors? Not yours?"

"It wasn't a prince, or anyone! It was someone who came with a prince."she said. "I was talking to him most of the night."

"So that's what you were doing? I couldn't find you anywhere!"exclaimed Mercury. "I had to oversee the flowers myself!"

"Oh, oops. Well, it wasn't so difficult! I mean, the bouquets only have to be changed twice!"

"I know nothing about flowers!"

"All I can say is, I'm really looking forward to the next ball! I can't wait!"

"Shouldn't you be this enthusiastic about someone by now?"Mars asked Serenity.

"I didn't get to talk anyone all night! There were so many of them! And so many jewelry sets, too!"

"I liked the one with the firestones."said Mars. "Who brought those?"

"From Isis."said Mercury. "It seems like the…um, idiot, as Venus said isn't from the Periphery after all. Isis is closer to the center of the Galaxy. They have the most beautiful and rarest firestones there. Actually, they're found only there. Are you considering him?"

"No."said Serenity.

"Well, the one from Trantor might be a good match. The Trantorians are certainly very powerful."

"I don't like Trantor."said Serenity. "Or Prince Cleon."

"Well, I know who I like."sighed Jupiter happily. "The next ball is tomorrow evening! And I'm already nervous!"


	8. Chapter 8

Venus held a note in her hand.

"Well, it looks like someone wants to give you a concert."she said.

"A concert?"

"He has a talent for singing. And he wants to sing for you."she explained. "How romantic!"

"When?"

"We'll have to start working on it right away. We have a ball tomorrow night, again. I guess we could replace one of the balls with the concert. And someone else wants to arrange a barbecue?"she looked puzzled.

"A barbecue?"

"It's what it says here."

"We don't have barbecues."Mars said.

"I know we don't…"Venus shook her head. "Really, sometimes I think people try a little too hard to impress. Anyway, we'll definitely consider the concert! And forget the barbecue. I think you should just send that one packing! Definitelly a no!"

Serenity looked at the note.

"I'm glad you think so. I didn't really like him, anyway."she told Venus.

"Well, that's one down."said Mars.

Venus crossed a name off her list.

"Well, then let's get down to business, then! Today, we have to take tea with Prince Leopold."she said. "So, let's pick out your dress."

They strolled into the Princess's dressing room, and began going through her closets.

"It's a nice day out, so I guess we can take tea out on the balcony, or something."Mars was saying.

"Well, I guess we should start getting ready as well."said Jupiter. "Besides, I feel a little tired."

"What's the matter with you!"demanded Mars.

Mercury took the garden scissors.

"We need you to choose the flowers for the table."she said.

"You can choose them! You have excellent taste! I just…guess the ball just wore me out, and all this planning! Ugh! I might as well get my energy back now that I have the chance! We have another ball, and I think I might need it."she said.

"In case you've forgotten, this is a very important time for all of us! The Princess must choose a husband! And you're complaining of doing your duty?!"Mars looked furious.

Jupiter looked uncomfortable.

"Well…it's not quite that…it's…I…"

"It's all right, Mars."said Serenity. "I will choose the flowers."she assured Mercury. "I guess this is hard on everyone! We could take turns. That way, no one gets too tired."

"See."said Jupiter as she walked out of the room.

She ran from the room before any of the others could run out and catch her. In reality, her mind wasn't on getting some rest, and she really wasn't tired at all. She walked toward the same garden where she'd observed the stars with Nephrite. She hoped he would be there again. _Well, if he's not, I'm bound to see him around,_ she thought to herself.

Prince Endymion and the Shitennou sat around a table, playing cards.

"So, I heard that you've been trying to get to know the Princess better, Nephrite."said Kunzite.

"What?"

"Like I was telling Zoicite and Jedeite last night, that was a stroke of brilliance I never expected from you."he beamed at Nephrite.

"What are you talking about, Kunzite?"Prince Endymion asked.

"Nephrite took it upon himself to associate with the Princess's guardians. What better way to get to know her than through her guardians?"he explained. "Hopefully Zoicite and Jedeite will follow his example. So, what have you learned?"he asked Nephrite. "Anything we need to be aware of?"

"Well,"Nephrite began. "I did learn that the Princess has never seen roses from Earth, and that she likes to look up at the Earth, but that's all. Other than that, I know that Princess Jupiter is interested in gardening, and that she hasn't been able to grow the same roses on Earth, and she's particularly interested in them, and she's told me about a lot about her planet, as well. It sounds very interesting, to be honest."

Kunzite smiled.

"It's obvious we made the right choice in choosing those roses."he said.

"It was actually the Prince who wanted to bring the roses, Kunzite."Zoicite reminded him.

"I'm glad she liked them, though."said Prince Endymion.

Nephrite put his cards down.

"I think I'll go get some fresh air."he said.

He really just wanted to get away from all of Kunzite's questions. Besides, what he did say to Kunzite wasn't about the Moon Princess, but Princess Jupiter. Maybe Kunzite wouldn't be able to tell the difference, anyway. He walked out onto the gardens, and without really being aware of it, towards the same courtyard where he'd sat with Princess Jupiter.

"Ow!"he said, when he bumped into something.

"Whoa!"

He noticed he'd bumped into someone walking the opposite way.

"Oh, I'm sorry."he apologized to Jupiter.

"That's all right, I really wasn't paying attention to where I was going."she said, delighted that she'd come across him. "I was just taking a walk."

"Oh, me, too. Getting to know the Moon Palace a little better. Why don't you give me a tour?"he asked, offering his arm.

Jupiter smiled, and took his arm.

"That'd be excellent. So, how are you liking it here so far?"she asked him.

"It'd be perfect if we'd only figure out a way to get rid of Kunzite. He's always criticizing, and so obsessed. I think even the prince can't stand him sometimes."he chuckled.

Jupiter giggled.

"Why don't you make him go outside the Moon Palace? You need to carry a special force field to go outside, you know. There's not enough atmosphere to block out the sun's rays, and not enough oxygen in some parts, but it's very nice, especially by the Sea of Serenity. Besides, I'm sure he'll stop being so stiff in a couple of days, he'll enjoy himself at the balls, and that concert."she said.

"The concert?"he asked.

"Oh, I forgot you didn't know. One of the suitors wants to give a special concert for the Princess. Venus thinks we should just cancel one of the upcoming balls, and have him sing, instead of it being an ordinary ball, you know."

"Does he compose the music himself?"asked Nephrite.

"I really don't know."

This was interesting. Maybe he should tell Prince Endymion. Nephrite didn't know if Prince Endymion could sing, but maybe he could even give a better one than this foreign prince. They'd continued their walk around the Moon Palace for the rest of the morning, with Jupiter pointing things out to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do you want to sit down?"he asked her, when they came to a bench.

They heard the clock chime the hour.

"Oh, no! I really should go! I didn't realize we'd been so long! I have to help with the tea! I guess I'll see you around!"she said over her shoulder, as she turned to go.


	9. Chapter 9

Jupiter rushed in, as the others were finishing the Princess's toilette.

"We were about to send a search party!"exclaimed Venus.

"Oh, sorry! I lost track of the time."she apologized. "But, anyway, so sorry I'm late. And how's the tea go."

"Well, I think he's a little immature."said Serenity. "Besides, the Periphery doesn't sound interesting. Even though Anacreon may be one of the wealthiest planets on the Periphery, it's still the Periphery, isn't it? Besides, to be honest, he looks so young."

"He's only around twelve, I've heard."said Venus, shaking her head.

"But why so young?"asked Mars.

"You know the Periphery! So barbarious! He's really only just a boy!"she exclaimed.

"Besides, he didn't really have a very interesting conversation."

Venus nodded.

"Cross that one off the list as well."she said. "Ugh."

Everyone nodded in unison.

"Then who are we having tea with next?"Mars.

Mercury took out her list.

"It looks like Endymion, from Earth."

"Well, then I guess we really should dress in our best then!"exclaimed Jupiter.

Mars rolled eyes.

"I really don't know what's the matter with you. Don't tell me you're interested in the Prince? You do know he only came for Princess Serenity. They all did."she said as she arranged the flowers in the Princess's hair.

Jupiter paid no attention to her.

"Then, I guess you should get dressed for the ball."suggested Mercury, as she chose out the Princess's gloves.

"Right. We'd better get going."

Kunzite looked at the note.

"It says we're to take tea with the Princess and her guardians tomorrow."he said.

He looked at the other three.

"I don't want to see a single blunder from any of you."he warned. "Jedeite, remember to look presentable, and try not to make a bigger fool of yourself. Nephrite, make sure you don't embarrass the Princess with any remarks, or gestures she may find offensive. And you, Zoicite, don't pick tomorrow to experiment with your hair, wear something normal, not eccentric. I'll have to make sure to keep an eye on you. And all of you will have to inspect all of you."

Zoicite and Jedeite glared at Kunzite. Nephrite seemed not to notice what Kunzite was saying. Endymion walked in. Everyone stood up, respectfully waiting for Endymion to address them.

"What are you threatening everybody with, Kunzite?"Endymion smiled. "I'm sure no one would possibly do anything that might make you mad anymore."

"Your Highness, we have received a note, saying we are to take tea with the Princess."

"Kunzite is certainly looking forward to it."Zoicite smiled. "He's even starting to plan right now!"

Endymion raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

"Well, we'll just have to wish you luck, Your Highness."he said.

"We'll have to go over everything again."

"We know everything by heart, Kunzite!"moaned Jedeite.

"I think they'll have learned all they can, Kunzite."Endymion intervened. "Besides, I don't feel like watching everyone rehearse for you, Kunzite. And there's no time left, anyway, really. It's almost time for supper, and then, I don't think anyone should stay up too late. We don't want them to fall asleep."

"Just what I was thinking!"exclaimed Zoicite. "Besides, I'd look dreadful if I didn't get enough sleep!"

"I'm going to go and have dinner."said Nephrite.

"Yeah."

"I was just trying to make sure that everything went perfectly, Your Highness. You know just how important it is to your mother that the Moon Princess choose you."

"I know."he looked around, seeing the other suitors. "Just what do you think the chances of that really are? It looks like one in a million, literally."

"Especially if you give concerts, I guess."

Jedeite laughed.

"Where did you get that ridiculous idea?"

"It isn't ridiculous. It's just what someone in this gigantic dining hall is going to do for the Princess. Give a concert."

"How do you know?"demanded Zoicite. "Usually, the one who hears all these things first is Kunzite."

"I heard it from someone this morning."he simply said.

"Who?"Kunzite wanted to know.

"Just someone I met on my walk around the palace."Nephrite shrugged, glancing at the head of the table, where Princess Serenity, her mother and her four guardians sat.

"Probably a valet, or something."dismissed Jedeite. "I never knew you were interested in gossip, though, Nephrite."

"It was a very informative piece of gossip, if you ask me."frowned Kunzite.

He looked around.

"Do you know who?"

Nephrite shrugged, still looking in Princess Jupiter's direction.


	10. Chapter 10

"It always seem like just an ambush!"exclaimed Princess Serenity.

"That's probably why dinner was such a disaster."said Mercury.

"Isn't there a way for everybody to come just one by one, instead of all at once?"asked Serenity.

"If only! But no! That's tradition!"

"And personally, I really would like to return to Phobos Deimos Castle for a short stay."said Mars.

"Honestly, I think I'd much rather stay at the Moon Palace than at Io Castle. Probably may not even return for a while."Jupiter smiled.

"You're acting too weird, you know."commented Mars.

"Uh, me? Why?"

Venus smiled.

"Ah, but why else! Isn't it obvious, Mars? Now if only someone else in this room followed that example."Venus said.

"There's nothing obvious except that someone isn't paying enough attention around here."

"Well, I don't know what everybody's complaining about! Personally, I think this tradition is one of the best! And I think I know just why they decided to have suitors from all over the Galaxy visit the Princess!"

"Anyway, back to business."interrupted Mercury, taking a sheet of paper, and several books from her quarters. "Endymion, Earth, right. So, let's see, he's only about…four years your senior, Your Higness, that sounds optimistic, considering some are much older, or much younger, he's not widowed, obviously-"

"Like you know who!"muttered Mars.

"I've already discarded all the widowed ones, actually."Venus assured her. "I don't think a widower would be an optimum match for the Princess."

"title, a prince, of course, planet, Earth, known for its climate, and his beautiful plant life, especially roses, and variety of animal life, mother, Queen Gaia, he would be a good match for you, Earth isn't far from the Moon, of course, and particularly advantageous due to Earth's resources, it's close, I suppose that's one thing, and his four guardians, known as Shitennou, Kunzite, Zoicite, Nephrite and Jedeite, that's about it, I think, his hobbies-"

"That's enough! We don't have to know every single little detail."

"Oh, I'm sorry."Mercury put her list down. "I've just been doing a vast amount of research on each of the suitors is all! And I have all the books in case the Princess would like to see something for herself, or I'll look it up for her. I also have a separate sheet for a short biography and profile of each."

Jupiter reached for the books, and began looking through them. Perhaps with everyone so shocked by the effort Mercury put into her self-assigned projects, she might be able to get to know Nephrite better. After all, Mercury had probably not overlooked the prince's Shitennou. She was always so thorough, it would be inconceivable, for her to miss anything connected with the prince.

"The more we know about him, the more we'll know whether he's right or not for the Princess."Mercury explained.

"I thought I was the senshi of love."said Venus.

"Well, but getting to know people will help, too."

"You're too shy to string two words together, Mercury! At least in front of strangers!"Mars told her.

"That's all right, Mars."said Serenity. "After all, Mercury was only trying to help."

"Why don't we just wait and see how this afternoon goes, all right."Jupiter suggested.

"Then we'd better get going."

"I guess it would be nice to have the roses for the table. And as decorations."suggested Jupiter. "After all, if he brought them, you know. Besides, it'd be a nice theme."she smiled.

"I suppose so."

"Great idea!"

"I'll go and get them right now!"Jupiter jumped off her feet and fled to get the roses.

"I really wonder what's gotten into her? Why am I under the impression that she is interested in the Prince. She seemed to be paying attention to what you were saying about him, and she took a look at your books!"Mars said to Mercury.

"Oh, I don't think so!"Mercury looked alarmed. "I mean…it's really not possible, is it? I suppose it is, but…it seems so…unusual. Then, I've read that people can't help whom they fall in love with. Do you really think it's possible? Or maybe it's not him, but his world, you know, she's fond of gardening, and even though those giant trees and forests on Jupiter, they don't have flowers like these roses. Maybe she got excited at seeing them, and…"Mercury shrugged. "Besides, which set do you suppose we should use today?"

Mars wasn't really paying attention.

"Now we have another one."Mercury murmered to herself. "At this rate, Venus and I will be the only ones thinking about our Princess's future."


	11. Chapter 11

They entered the room, where the Prince and his guardians already waiting. After the round of introductions, they took their places at the table. Jupiter took the tea pot, and began to pour the tea. She had insisted on pouring the tea herself. She went around pouring the tea in each cup. She offered Nephrite a smile when she filled his cup. When he smiled back, she blushed, and ended up pouring the tea all over Zoicite's hand, as he held up his cup.

"Ow!"exclaimed Zoicite as the hot tea burned his hand. "Watch what you're doing!"

"Oh, oops! Silly me! Well, why do they always let the tea stew!"she exclaimed. "When it's not too cold, it's too hot!"

"The tablecloth!"shrieked Venus, rushing, and trying to soak up the tea that had fallen on the snowy white tablecloth with her handkerchief.

"Let me help you."Kunzite offered, throwing a murderous look at Zoicite. No doubt Zoicite had probably moved his cup, hoping to cause such a scene.

"What are you thinking of?"hissed Mars in her ear.

"Oh, my!"

Mercury got up, and rushed to Zoicite.

"I don't think it'll burn too much! It can't be too hot! Oh, here! Let me see!"

"It _is_ hot!"

"Oh, what a thing to happen! And it was brand new, too! Not to mention expensive, and one of a kind!"exclaimed Venus.

"I'm sorry."apologized Serenity.

"I wasn't really thinking."said Jupiter.

"Of course you weren't!"Mars scolded.

"But it was very well done!"said Nephrite.

At that comment, Jupiter blushed, and felt pleased with herself. She was glad at having Nephrite's attention. She smiled.

"Well…"she began.

Mars snatched the teapot from her.

"I'll finish!"she said.

Mercury returned to the table. Zoicite followed her.

"The burn wasn't so bad. It was only a one degree burn. I mean, it was only tea."

"Boiling hot tea."muttering Zoicite.

Nephrite and Jadeite were trying not to laugh.

"Quit complaining."Kunzite snapped.

"I'm sorry. Jupiter isn't usually clumsy. Quite the opposite, really."Serenity told Endymion.

"At least for this afternoon tea won't be like the rest, will it? Or does she spill tea on someone every day?"he asked.

"Oh, no! I should hope not!"

"We're really very sorry for that incident."said Mars. "Jupiter clearly isn't feeling well, as you can see, so it'd probably be best for her to get some rest. She just lost her balance, and it caused her to sway a bit, causing as you saw, that she spill the tea."

Jupiter glared at her. She didn't need anyone to think she wasn't feeling well.

"I was feeling just fine, thank you!"she told Mars coldly.

"Well, let's just forget about it."suggested Mercury.

"Forget about it! Just look at the tablecloth! It's ruined! And it was one of the Queen's most prized! She bought it just for this occasion!"moaned Venus.

"Oh!"Jupiter moaned. Great, now she had ruined the Queen's tablecloth. "Maybe if we wash it out right away."she suggested helpfully. "We could just move out to the garden. We always used to take tea in the garden on Jupiter. It's very nice. That way, we won't have to take tea at a wet tablecloth."

"And all thanks to you."Mars told her.

Jupiter ignored her.

"What a good idea!"said Serenity. "The garden might not be so bad. Besides, we're going to be stuck indoors all evening at the ball. We might as well enjoy ourselves outdoors while we can."

"I agree."said Endymion.

"It's this way."Venus gestured, leading everyone outside. "I'll go let the staff know, then. I'll meet you there."

_At least that went all right,_ Jupiter thought. _Probably even better,_ she added, remembering that Nephrite had found it amusing to see the tea spilled on Zoicite. She put her hand up to her mouth and giggled. Prince Endymion was right on one thing, it was probably the one afternoon that no one was probably going to forget. And if no one else forgot, obviously Nephrite wouldn't, either.


	12. Chapter 12

It seemed that for the rest of the afternoon, the only ones who seemed to be enjoying themselves were Endymion and Serenity. Kunzite was furious that Zoicite had caused such a scene. Venus was distressed at the fact that the tablecloth now had a stain, and she had no way of knowing how to unstain it. Zoicite refused to take even a sip of tea, while Jadeite simply nibbled on the cakes and sandwiches, looking bored. Mercury sat quietly. This suitor business was always very stressful for her. She wasn't like the Princess who enjoyed receiving love letters and writing them. She only longed to be back at Marina Castle. Or for the old balls, when they weren't taking tea with strangers all the time. Mars glared at Jupiter, and made no effort to hide her displeasure at her. Serenity listened to Endymion talk about Earth. She loved to hear about the green landscapes. There were no such things on the Moon. Jupiter wished she could read minds, then perhaps she could read Nephrite's. Nephrite also paid little attention to the conversation.

"Well, I guess we should get going…"said Serenity. "There's a ball tonight."she added.

"I'd almost forgotten."Endymion admitted.

They stood up. Noticing that the prince prepared to leave, Kunzite stood up as well.

"It has been a very pleasant afternoon, Princess."he said to Serenity.

Mercury was among the first to put down her cup, and looked relieved that the afternoon was coming to and end. She tried not to think about the upcoming ball, or the next afternoon.

As soon as they had reached their ward, and were completely out of earshot, Kunzite exploded at the other three.

"Just what did you think you were doing!"he yelled at Zoicite.

Zoicite looked bewildered.

"I never did anything!"

"And that's another thing! No one said a single word! The least you could have done is have engaged the Princess's guardians in conversation! The three of you are supposed to be getting to know them better! How come I have to be doing everything myself around here!"he demanded. "The three of you are just useless! Unless it's to make us all look like idiots! Now Prince Endymion's chances have just been decreased thanks to all of you!"

He stormed out.

"Just who does he think he is to be saying we didn't do anything! He didn't say a word, either!"said Jadeite.

"Well, I certainly enjoyed myself."said Nephrite. "And I don't really think we ruined Prince Endymion's chances."he added calmly. "Quite the contrary, really. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the ball!"

"He's weird."Jadeite told Zoicite. "And why _did_ you move your hand!"

Zoicite threw his arms up in.

"I didn't move anything! She was the one who wasn't paying attention!"

Zoicite left the room, leaving Jadeite alone. He scratched his head, wondering just what had gotten into everybody. Kunzite, well, that was no surprise. He was always in a bad mood, anyway, or most of the time. Zoicite, he'd probably misinterpreted what Kunzite had wanted, and thought that spilling the tea was what he had to do, and Nephrite. Well, Nephrite had acted weird since they'd gotten there. Maybe it was the lunar atmosphere. Or something in the food? Something about the Moon that seemed to make everyone lose their minds.

In another part of the Moon Palace, Mars demanded to know why Jupiter had spilled the tea on purpose.

"It wasn't on purpose, you know!"she said for the umpteenth time. "I just got sort of dizzy, swayed, and…it happened."

"Maybe you should have someone take a look at you, Jupiter."said Serenity, sounding concerned.

"I'm perfectly fine. I just…hadn't really eaten much, that's it. But I feel just fine now."

"Well, I'm glad."Serenity smiled. "And really, there's no reason to make such a big deal out of this, after all. I enjoyed myself very much. You know, I really like Prince Endymion. What did you think about him, Venus?"

"Huh?"

Venus shook her head, as though trying to concentrate on what the Princess was saying.

"She was wanting to know what you thought of Prince Endymion."Mercury explained to her. "The princess seems to have taken a liking to him. What do you think?"

"Oh, well…I…"she couldn't say that she hadn't been paying much attention. "I guess that means he's moved up to the priority list. We'll have to have tea with him again another time, then. So you can to know him better, Princess. Personally, I think it sounded like both of you have much in common! And this time, it'd probably be best if everyone made sure they were feeling their best, so we avoid accidents like today's."

"That's just what I think so, too!"Jupiter cut in. "And it'll be time to go down soon!"she was almost jumping up and down, and remembered to take one last look in the mirror, before going to the ballroom. "What do you guys think? Do I look all right?"she asked anxiously.

No one answered her question, and they went downstairs.

"I'm really looking forward to dancing!"Jupiter said to Venus on the way down.

"Me, too."Venus admitted. "I mean, Princess Serenity can't dance with everybody at once. Someone's bound to dance with us. Or at least with you!"

"What do you mean?"asked Jupiter.

Venus clicked her tongue, and shook her head.

"You may be able to fool anyone, except me, you know."

"But I'm not trying to fool anyone."

"Well, the tablecloth wasn't really so important, but you know, court life, appearances. I mean, it's so obvious what made you spill the tea."

Jupiter could feel her temper rising.

"I already said-"

"That you felt unwell for a moment. But I know that's not true. And let me tell you, that I think it's the best thing to have happened. I really wasn't paying much attention to Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, you know."she admitted. "I was too busy watching you, and I don't know his name. But you know that match making is a specialty of us Venusians! And I think this one is just right for you, and it might help our Princess choose!"


	13. Chapter 13

Jupiter almost tripped over the hem of her dress, as soon as Venus finished her sentence. She forgot all about pretending.

"Really? You think so? What else? What do you think he thought?"she asked, swiftly.

Venus giggled.

"Well, I'm supposed to be thinking of helping the Princess make a good match, but I think I'll help you, too."

"You would? Well, what do you think I should do? What would increase my chances? Should I act a little more distant? More seductive? Or maybe innocent?"

Venus laughed.

"First of all, I think you should calm down!"

Jupiter nodded.

"Right."

They got to the stairs, and began to climb down. Mars fanned herself uninterestedly, looking around, Mercury held on to her fan tightly in her hands, Princess Serenity wore a nervous smile, Venus looked excited, and Jupiter scanned the room for Nephrite.

"Well, do you think I should just approach casually? Or wait for him to approach me?"she asked Venus behind her fan. "I'm just so nervous! Suppose I do something stupid and embarrass myself in front of everyone! He'll think I'm a complete klutz!"

"It's quite possible he already does."Venus told her.

Jupiter groaned, and suddenly wanted to vanish from the room.

"But don't worry. We'll just wait for a while. Then we'll see."

They walked away from the group, and walked toward the veranda.

"It's so exciting!"said Venus. "Just try to act the same way you always do! As if nothing's going on."

"I'm finding that a little difficult! Has he noticed us already?"

"Of course, we walked down with the Princess, didn't we? Everyone noticed that. How could they not?"

Jupiter hoped that Venus was right.

"Or maybe they're not allowed to leave their prince?"she asked, looking crestfallen.

Venus tapped her with her fan.

"You'll ruin your chances thinking that way!"

"I think you should have had at least one of the first dances, Your Highness."Kunzite was telling Endymion. "Perhaps you'd be more memorable that way."

"I say you should just walk up to her, move all those other guys out of the way, and just make your presence known, my liege."Nephrite was saying.

Kunzite turned, and glared at him.

"Just what do you think you're doing, trying to have the prince make a fool of himself?"he demanded.

"You're just paranoid!"Nephrite answered calmly, shrugging. "Well, I don't think I'll stand here all night, but you guys are welcome to if you like."

He walked away from them, into the crowd._ At least I've got no competition, _he thought, smiling to himself. He looked at all the other suitors in the ballroom. There were more people here than there were at the first ball. Probably everyone on the Moon. And maybe from other parts of the Galaxy, too. At least there were a variety of fashions from other planets, from enormous skirts which measured several feet from hem to hem, and bows, flowers and lacy frills in soft pastels of the Trantorians, to the simple, almost plain dresses of the Isians.

"They look as though they're ready for work, not for a ball."he said to himself, noticing a crowd of people dressed in browns or grays, whose clothes showed no hint of decorations, not even a small brooch. They stared at the chandeliers, the clothes, and the decorations in awe.

The Princess stood, talking to someone, who looked uncomfortable standing so close to her. He wore gloves, and refused to let even his shoe touch the hem of her skirt. Nephrite could see his face show the revulsion he felt when he bent over her hand. _At least Prince Endymion won't have to worry about that one,_ he smiled. Nope, definitely not. One down. He scanned the crowd.

He noticed Princess Jupiter, listening to one of the other guardians, dressed in orange, with a bow in her blonde hair. Nephrite thought she must be complimenting Jupiter on her dress, because she kept gesturing at her, and Jupiter always turned her attention towards whatever the other gestured at.

_She must be complimenting her,_ Nephrite though to himself. He watched as the other gestured at the straps of Jupiter's dress, as she shook her head.

"No, you see, it might be nicer if you might just add a hint of a bow."she was saying, when he walked closer. "That way it might bring some more attention to your shoulders."

"I think the straps without the bows are more compelling."Nephrite butted in.

Both girls whirled around. They were so absorbed in their conversation, they hadn't noticed him get so close.

"Oh, we had no clue we were being stalked!"cried the other. "I saw you this afternoon, at tea, didn't I? But I don't really remember your name."she said.

"Nephrite."supplied Jupiter.

The other slapped her forehead.

"Silly me!"she giggled. "I'm just so horrible with names and all that, you know! I'm Princess Venus, I don't really expect you to have remembered me at all, of course. Well, I guess I'd better get going! Princess Serenity must be wondering where I am! And I'm supposed to keep on eye to see who's meant for her, and me here chitchatting! Well, I'll see you around!"she whirled out of sight.

"Uh, did you get anything she said? She spoke kind of fast."Nephrite said to Jupiter.

"Oh, she's always like that. Just bubbling over with energy. But she's so nice."she answered him.


	14. Chapter 14

Everyone got up late the next morning. During a late breakfast, the Princesses sat around the breakfast table, discussing what they had thought about the ball the night before. Jupiter seemed to be the only one who had nothing to say. She stirred her tea, and waited impatiently for Venus to finish her conversation with Serenity.

"He's so clumsy, he stepped on my feet several times, and not to mention the fact that he looked as though I had offended him when I said I would dance with him! Can you imagine!"Serenity was saying to Venus. "He wouldn't dance properly, either. He kept being afraid to touch me."

Mercury had brought her books to the table as well.

"It says here that the Solarians can't touch."she frowned. "They live in estates, by themselves, surrounded by robots. It's a taboo to touch human flesh. Wow. They only marry to produce young, so they won't die out, but according to this, they have plans to figure out how to produce young without having to have two individuals. Either by cloning, artificial contraception, or becoming hermaphrodites."her eyes were wide.

Everyone stared in her direction as she put the book down.

"They will occasionally intermarry someone from outside Solaria. To add new genes to their gene pool. Usually, they are assigned to one another. He's probably here, because he was assigned by whoever's in charge of raising young on his world, to marry someone who's not a Solarian."

"Assigned?"asked Venus. "But what if they don't like each other?'

Mercury scanned her books.

"The only thing I can make out, really is that, if the genetic analysis says they are compatible, and their genes can produce healthy young, there is no reason why they should not like each other. It makes no sense, but I suppose it must to them."she said, closing the book.

"There's absolutely no logic in that."said Mars.

"Well, forget him, definitely."said Venus. "Along with the other one."

"Eat as much as you possibly can, Princess. After all, you won't be able to eat much for lunch, if we're having someone sit with you. You know most guys expect girls to have no appetite."Mars reminded her.

Princess Serenity sighed. She had always had more than a healthy appetite. She was finding it very difficult to pretend she ate like a bird when she could eat everything in sight. Jupiter dropped her fork as soon as she heard Mars. Everyone turned to stare.

"Oh, damn it!"she said. "I think they must leave the soap or something on the silverware when they wash it!"she picked it up.

She tried to think back to the afternoon before. Maybe she had eaten like a pig, not being aware of it. She tried to remember how much she had eaten. When breakfast was over, she ran to Venus. That hadn't really been necessary, as Venus was already planning to speak to her.

"So, tell me everything!"she demanded.

"Oh, I can't wait to tell you everything!"said Jupiter, then her smiled disappeared. "I'm going to need your help!"she said seriously.

"Ooooh, for what?"she asked, eagerly. "Anything, you know me!"

"Well, you know there's no ball tonight."Jupiter began.

Venus nodded.

"And you know we have the tea with that other prince, I can't keep their names straight, well, there won't be another ball until this weekend!"Jupiter sounded distraught. "If you could just help me get away for a little while,"she said, eagerly. "I'd have no problem seeing him, then."

Venus thought hard.

"Hmmm…we don't have to be with the Princess all the time. At least not all four of us…let's see…we'll have to…I know!"she looked at the wall opposite of them. "You can't send him a message! He'll think you're too forward, and guys must never get the impression that you want them to like you so bad. That only ruins your chances. So, why don't you just leave this in my hands for right now!"

"But-"

"Just trust me! Oh, darn! I have to go and see about that right now!"she ran out of sight.

Jupiter sighed, and crossed her arms, frustrated. What was she going to do? She knew the best thing was to trust Venus, but Venus had already said that her chances with Nephrite were excellent, wasn't that more than enough? But then, Venus might forget all about helping her, and concentrate on helping Princess Serenity instead. It wasn't that Jupiter thought that Serenity's making a good match wasn't important it was that she simply couldn't wait so long! She'd have to try something different. Maybe just walking around the Palace? After all, he'd be bound to be somewhere. They could just meet casually? No, the chances of that were very little, if any. The Moon Palace was huge, after all. Artemis walked in.

"This suitor business getting to you already?"he asked.

"Huh?"

"Or is it Venus? I think she's probably the only one who's actually enjoying all this! This is such a difficult time for everyone else. But not for any Venusian, you know. This is like the best time for them. She must have everyone working like mules!"

"Oh, I'm actually enjoying meeting everyone."Jupiter said.

Artemis grinned.

"Well, it is good for trade and things like that, I've got to admit. And getting to know different people."

"You got that right. Well, I guess I can't just sit here, can I?"she asked. "I've got to go."

"Me, too. There's a meeting in the conference room, and obviously, I have to be present, along with Luna and the queen."

Before they went for tea, that evening, Venus pulled Jupiter aside.

"All righty, I've got just the plan! I've been working it out in head all day!"

"You do? What?"asked Jupiter eagerly.

She had spend the day looking out the windows, peeking into the corridors, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nephrite.

"It's simple. I'm going to dress up as a maid, and make him think that you have an important message from Princess Serenity, to Prince Endymion."she explained.

Jupiter frowned.

"Well, then I'll give him the message!"

"No, it wouldn't do to have him see you in a maid's uniform."Venus told her. "You don't want him to think less of you, do you?"

Jupiter sighed. No, it definitely wouldn't do for Nephrite to see her in a maid's outfit.

"Fine, you're right. But you'd better hurry."

"You just leave everything to me!"

**Find out how Venus's plan goes in the next ch.**


	15. Chapter 15

Jupiter watched impatiently, as Venus tied a kerchief around her head.

"See?"Venus gestured toward herself, and taking a small piece of paper.

"Well, you'd better hurry up! Where are you going?"Jupiter almost screamed, as Venus walked toward the stairs.

"Looking for Nephrite, what else?"

"Shouldn't you be taking the back stairs?"she asked.

"Oh! You're right."she said, and took a turn, to take the servant's stairs.

"And remember to tell me everything!"Jupiter called after her.

"Of course!"

She watched Venus disappear down a long corridor. Venus climbed several flights of stairs, and came across several maids, valets, butlers, and other staff. They all looked curiously at her, reminding her to carry herself as a maid would when she came across any guests. She took out a list from her skirt pocket, looked down the list of names, to see exactly where she was most likely to find Nephrite.

"Aha!"she said to herself. "Perfect."

She composed herself, and tried to put a calm face.

"Now, just remember, don't look at him in the eye, look down, and speak softly, right? Well, that's how they usually act, anyway. I'm supposed to be a dairy maid!"

She came to knock on the door. Another one of Endymion's guardians opened. She was about to say hello as she would have, but remembered her position too well.

"Um, hello,"she said, looking at her hands. "I'm here to speak to um,"she wasn't sure what title she should use for Nephrite. "to a gentleman, known as Nephrite, please."

She should've asked Jupiter before.

"Nephrite? What do you want with him?"asked the man.

"Uh…your name. Sir."she added quickly, and looked up.

His eyebrows went up, surprised that she wanted his name.

"I asked you first."he told her in an authoritarian voice.

Venus was about to talk back, when she remembered her position. She couldn't give herself away.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little new at this."she said, trying to make up.

He nodded.

"I was told to give this note from Princess Serenity to him. It's for Prince Endymion. It's my understanding that he can let the prince know?"

"I'll take it."said Kunzite.

Venus's eyes grew wide.

"What? Oh, no, my orders were very specific!"she said. "Nephrite. No one else!"

Kunzite frowned.

"If you must know, I am the oldest, and if there is a note for the prince, I am the who will give it to him."

He held out his hand. Venus stared at him, open-mouthed. She had to think quick.

"Um, I…I don't want to get in trouble! My orders were-"

"You'll be in trouble if you don't hand me that note right now."he told her.

She had spend all morning trying to come up with a way to help Jupiter, she couldn't have this idiot ruin everything! She had half a mind to just tell him who she really was, that would serve him right for speaking to her like that. But then she'd have a lot of explaining to do! And it all would've been for nothing!

"The note!"he demanded in his most dangerous voice.

She decided she had no other alternative but to give it to him. She reached into her skirt pocket, pulled it out and gave it to him. He took it.

"Have a good day."he said, as he turned.

She stood open mouthed. _Uh-oh! Jupiter's going to kill me, _she thought. She turned and ran back to where they had agreed Jupiter would wait.

Jupiter was pacing back and forth, when Venus ran in.

"Well? Did you see him? What'd he say?"she asked.

"Princess Serenity has an…appointment to keep."said Venus.

"What are talking about?"asked Jupiter. "What about Nephrite?"

"I don't think he'll get the note."she said.

"What?!"

"I had to give the note to someone else!"she apologized.

Jupiter gasped, and ran to Venus, and began to pull her hair, and shake her.

"I waited all day for you to tell me you didn't give him my note!"she demanded. "You were the one who came up with this idea!"she yelled back at her.

"Ah! Let me go! Let me go!"

"Now what are we supposed to do!"

"Not get violent, that's for sure!"said Venus.

Jupiter crossed her arms, and glared at her.

"How could you have been so stupid!"

"I didn't have much of a choice! Oh, but that idiot, when I see him again, will he ever be sorry he humiliated me like that this afternoon! Just you wait until I see him again!"she said about Kunzite.

Jupiter dismissed Venus's mention of Kunzite.

"What are we going to do now?"Jupiter asked her. "When they read it, he'll know it's not Mercury's handwriting! And if he…"Jupiter groaned.

"We'll just have to convince the Princess as well. And maybe it's not such a bad idea. I like Prince Endymion better than anyone else we've seen. And you might get to see Nephrite, too after all. We just have to convince the Princess."

"I should never have listened to you, Venus."Jupiter said. "I guess the best thing is to just wait until the next ball."

"And the next ball is just precisely when that stuck up jerk will pay for the way he spoke to me this afternoon! Who does he think he is! He's the reason I couldn't get the note to Nephrite. I swear, if I hadn't handed it to him, he probably would've searched me or something!"

"That bad?"

"Well, I'll just have to be worse when I see him, won't I?"

"That won't be a problem for you."


	16. Chapter 16

"So, who's going to tell her?"asked Venus.

Jupiter glared at her.

"You will!"she said. "We're in this whole mess thanks to you! So, I guess that can only mean you'll have the privilege to let her know!"

Venus walked into the big sitting room, where Mercury and Mars where keeping Serenity company.

"Good afternoon!"she said happily. "Ah, Princess, I have a, um, message for you!"

"For me? From whom?"

"It's from one of your suitors."she said.

Serenity looked confused.

"Which one? What is it?"

She held out her hand.

"Uh, he didn't write it down. He says he wants you to meet him tonight in the courtyard with the big fountain in it. You know, the one with the swan on it."

"He wants to what?"Mercury looked as though she were about to faint.

"Gee, this one really is interested, isn't he?"said Mars. "Do you think we should go?"she asked Venus.

"Of course we should!"she said immediately.

After all, she'd have a lot of explaining to do if she didn't, and it might put the Princess in a ridiculous light, as the note had gone to Endymion instead of Nephrite.

"After all, all four of us are going with you, aren't we?"she finished. "There should be no problem."

"I suppose so, but really, Serenity, you must really have caught his eye!"Mars was saying.

Serenity blushed, and Mercury looked almost on the verge of tears.

"This is all your fault!"Jupiter hissed in Venus's ear.

"It'll be fine."she assured her.

That evening, everyone put on their cloaks, and headed out to the gardens.

"Oh, if we get caught!"Mercury kept repeating.

"We'll be fine."Mars assured her.

The night was freezing, as night usually always were on the Moon, especially around this time.

"I should've brought my fur cloak!"said Mars through chattering teeth.

"Don't be so dramatic! After all, isn't it cold on Mars as well?"asked Venus.

"But we don't go out in the cold weather."

"Wow! I guess _some_ of Kunzite's advice has paid off, hasn't it Your Highness?"exclaimed Jedeite, after Endymion read the note to them.

"Who gave this to you, Kunzite?"he asked in bewilderment.

"A maid. Although she insisted she was under orders to give it to Nephrite."

Jedeite studied the handwriting carefully.

"This isn't the Princess's usual scribe who wrote this."he said.

"Maybe it was the Princess herself."offered Nephrite. "Maybe she didn't want anyone to find out, because she wanted to meet the prince alone."

"It's not her handwriting."

"Maybe she had trouble writing it because she has trouble with love letters in general."offered Zoicite.

Everyone turned to stare at him. He shrugged.

"I overheard someone."

They turned their attention to the note.

"Well, what do you think?"asked Endymion. "Should I go, or not?"

"You obviously should!"Nephrite insisted.

"I find all this rather suspicious! That girl insisted to give it to Nephrite, and no one else, it's not in the scribe's usual handwriting, do you suppose everyone's been sent a note like this? On a different date?"

"Kunzite!"

"I think we should all go."

"We can't go!"Nephrite told him.

"This is all too intriguing, to be honest."he said.

The princess and her four guardians stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky, at the Palace, or at the ground.

"Is this some kind of joke?"demanded Mars. "You'd have thought, that him being the one who asked you to come, he'd already be here! I'm freezing!"

"Maybe he's not coming after all."said Mercury hopefully.

They heard footsteps coming from the entrance.

"I think he's here after all."said Venus.

"And he will certainly get a piece of my mind!"hissed Mars.

"Hmm, you know,"Venus whispered into Jupiter's ear. "I might just not have to wait until the next ball to get back at this jerk!"she said when she noticed Kunzite.


	17. Chapter 17

"Oh, goody!"said Venus as she rubbed her hands together, her eyes on Kunzite. Now, if ever was the perfect time to humiliate him in front of not just the prince, and the others but in front of the princess and themselves.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Mercury, looking around nervously.

"Nothing to alarm yourself about."Venus assured her.

Mars stood, hugging her cloak to her, shivering.

"Maybe you should fetch Mars an extra cloak."Venus suggested.

"And leave the Princess here!"Mercury looked shocked.

"The rest of us are here."

Mercury shook her head. Venus paid no attention to the prince and princess who both looked shocked, at knowing that the other had not sent them any note. _I'll take care of that later,_ she thought.

"It was really very daring of your princess to send Prince Endymion that note, you know."Nephrite smiled at Jupiter.

"Oh, well, see, it's, um, it was actually…"she didn't know whether to tell him that it was all a mistake gone wrong.

He laughed.

"I insisted that we let the prince come alone, but Kunzite over there, thought that there might be a trap, or something. Doesn't look so to me."he looked around.

"Oh, there was never any trap."Jupiter said. "Just…well, the note."

"So, why did Princess Serenity want to see Prince Endymion?"he asked her, frowning.

"Um,"she scanned her mind quickly. "Well…she wanted to tell him something."

"Oh, really?"

"It, um, I can't really remember what it was…something about…I can't really remember?"she finished lamely, not being able to think of a good enough lie.

"Well, I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

She nodded, wishing that she had been the one who'd delivered the note to him, instead of letting Venus mess up. Then it would be more romantic with just the two of them, instead of the puzzled look of the prince and princess, Mercury looking nervously around the courtyard, Kunzite looking suspicious, Jadeite observing the artwork, Zoicite looking bored, and Mars freezing. Venus was humming, walking around the courtyard, pretending to be picking flowers, when she 'accidentally' bumped against Kunzite. He looked surprised.

"Ooops, sorry!"she said. "I was just too busy admiring all the beautiful flowers, you know."she said, holing up the bouquet.

"That's nice."he answered, and turned his attention away from her.

Her hands tightened around the stems of the flowers. How dare he! Here, she was trying to get his attention, if her plan was going to work, and he turns away! She gritted her teeth. Well, if he wanted to ignore her, that was fine, then. She'd just have to try something more…drastic, wouldn't she?

"You look like you're freezing."Jadeite observed Mars.

"Obviously. Aren't you cold?"she asked him.

"Here."he took off his cloak and put it around her shoulders. "I hope that helps."he said.

"Thank you."she said. "I'm not really used to such cold weather. Of course, we have cold weather on Mars, but we usually like to stay on the side of the planet that's warmer."

"I'm only just a little cold."he said. "But that's fine. On Earth we have all sort of weather. Maybe it's a little warmer away from the fountain."

"Oh, not by much."she said. "It's still freezing!"

Dropping the flowers, Venus decided she knew exactly just how to humiliate Kunzite. All she needed was…a banana peel? Something slippery was all. She looked around. Everything in the courtyard was either stone, or plants. She wondered if any of the plants would do. Her eyes landed on the water lilies floating in the water. She smiled mischievously as she took one. Perfect! She looked towards the way the prince had come. Surely if she just placed it about…she tried to calculate in her mind. Then he would be sure to step on it, and fall over the prince. That would certainly be something he never forgot! She carefully set the lily pad on the ground.

"What are you doing?"she heard a voice behind her ask.

She turned swiftly.

"I didn't mean to scare you."he said. "I'm Zoicite. You were sitting next to the one in blue at tea that afternoon, weren't you?"he asked her.

"The one in blue? Mercury?"

"Yes."

"Oh, yes, why?"she asked.

"I was just wondering…"his eyes slid to where Mercury stood.

"Oh!"said Venus in a knowing voice. "I see! You want me to help you with Mercury! You like her! Was it because she knew just what to do for her hand on that day?"

He blushed.

"No!"

"You shouldn't pretend if you want me to help you! Why don't we go somewhere more out of earshot."she insisted, and took his arm, and pulled him towards the far end of the courtyard.

Mercury wondered around the courtyard aimlessly, looking anxiously and startling at every little sound. If they were caught, well, she didn't want to think about it! No one else seemed concerned. Venus was chatting with one of Prince Endymion's guardians. From the look on her face, she seemed to be coming up with a girl she had in mind for him. She wondered whom that girl could be. Jupiter was also talking to another, and even Mars seemed to not mind the cold weather anymore, wrapped in her own cloak, and in another.

"I'm probably the only one worried around here!"she whispered to herself.

She thought she heard footsteps, and turned quickly. Oh, if they were caught, what would they do! How could they explain! Her foot slipped on something wet and slippery.

"Whoa!"she exclaimed.

She stepped on the hem of her dress, and could hear it rip as she lost her balance. She fell into the fountain with a loud splash.

"Mercury!"she could hear everyone's voices.

"Let me help you out of there!"said Zoicite, and he took her hand.

She shivered. She was soaked. She shook her head and pulled her hand away.

"I can climb out myself."she insisted.

"But…how?"asked Serenity.

Kunzite looked furious.

"I think we should retire, my Liege."Kunzite said.


	18. Chapter 18

Distraught, Mercury ran back to the Palace. Zoicite was about to go chase her, but Kunzite grabbed his cloak, and pulled him with the rest of them, back to their ward.

"So, what did the Princess have to say to you?"Nephrite asked eagerly, when Princess Serenity was out of earshot.

Endymion frowned, and addressed Kunzite instead.

"Why did you tell me that the Princess had sent me a note, Kunzite?"Endymion demanded.

Everyone turned to stare at Kunzite.

"You lied?"asked Jadeite.

Kunzite stared at Endymion.

"I would never lie to you, Sire."he said.

"Princess Serenity told me that she never send me any note!"

"I received it from a maid, who said it was from her! This is very suspicious!"

"There's nothing suspicious here."insisted Nephrite. "Just that apparently, Kunzite is so anxious to get the princess to choose you, that he makes these things up."

Kunzite glared at him.

"I'll find whoever is behind this circus if it's the last thing I ever do!"Kunzite said to himself.

Venus stamped her foot and pouted.

"It's not fair!"she said. "He was supposed to have fallen flat on his face! And instead he moves, and poor Mercury lands in the fountain! Oh, but I'll get him! I'll get him!"

"Looking forward to seeing anybody this evening, Princess?"Artemis asked, as he and Luna entered the room, while the girls were helping Serenity prepare for the ball.

"In reality, I think I'm getting a little sick of these balls. The next thing we need is to be having one every evening! And can't we really just have tea by ourselves just once!"Serenity answered.

"Not while there are guests, no."replied Luna.

"Besides, I don't feel too well."said Mercury, keeping her head down.

Everyone turned. Mercury stared at her hands in her lap. She really couldn't go back outside! And Prince Endymion was going to be there. And if he was there, his four guardians were bound to be there, too! She had made a fool of herself in front of them! To face them again!

"Is everything all right?"asked Luna suspiciously. "Everyone has been acting a little strange lately, you know."

"There's nothing going on, Luna."Venus assured her. "Whatever gave you the idea that there could possibly be anything wrong?"

Luna looked at them.

"I don't know."

"It's probably just that everyone's just so nervous and excited at the same time."Artemis chuckled.

"Exactly! Well, we've got to finish, or we're gonna be late, everybody!"

"I said I'm not going!"Mercury insisted.

"Of course you're going!"said Venus. "It was that jerk's fault you fell in the fountain!"

"Don't remind me!"

"Then let's go!"

"The same routine as always, I guess."Mars said. "You'd better start narrowing your list,"she whispered to Venus. "I don't want to be doing this for the rest of my life."

Venus wasn't paying much attention to her. Jupiter started to scan the crowd. Venus was more concerned about Mercury now. She, was after all, the authority on anything having to do with love, and it was obvious to her that Zoicite(was that his name?)was obviously impressed by Mercury. This was going to be a much more difficult task than Jupiter and Nephrite, she knew. Mercury needed all the help she could get, if left to her own devices, she would probably hide out in the library until this was over, and she couldn't allow that! No way! Besides, she liked a challenge, and who knew, perhaps in return Zoicite might just help her put that jerk in his place.

"Why don't we go and see if anyone needs anything."Venus suggested to Mercury.

"Of course."

Perfect coverup! Mercury would never know that she was leading her straight to Zoicite with such a simple suggestion.

"I would have thought that you would have liked to dance instead."Mercury said.

"Oh, I think that I'm all danced out right now, to be honest."Venus smiled.

She spotted the valet with a tray of goblets, offering them to the guest. As she watched several people take goblets from the tray, a plan began to hatch in her head. Mercury tugging at her skirt brought her back to reality.

"We've got to get out of here!"she whispered into her ear.

"W-what?"Venus shook her head, looking around, trying to see what could possibly have frightened Mercury so bad.

"We've got to get out of here, before he looks this way!"

Mercury dashed behind Venus, attempting to hide out of sight.

"Why?"

"We have to go before he looks this way! Just walk backward, and don't let him see me!"

She began pulling her. Venus looked around, trying to locate the source of the danger.

"I don't see anyone! Are they armed? Where's the Princess!"

"I should hope he's not armed! We've got to get out of here!"

Mercury pointed, Venus spotted Zoicite a few steps away from them.

"Is that who you're running from?"she asked.

"Let's go! Before he sees us! I'll never live it down!"

Before she could say another word, Mercury pulled her out onto the terrace.

"He didn't see anything, did he?"she asked, breathlessly.

"Just why are you so afraid of him?"

"Didn't you see how I made a fool of myself in front of him, the other three and the Prince?! I can never look them in the face again!"

"You're being overdramatic, besides, I'm pretty sure he'll remember you more for that!"

Mercury blushed.

"I'm not going back in!"

Venus sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought! Maybe she should just play along for now. She shrugged.

"Fine, we'll stay here for a while."

She looked at the sky.

"The skies on Venus aren't this bright, even at night. You hardly see the stars, through the atmosphere, and the days are so long…"

They walked around the terrace, Venus gazing at the sky, unaware that Mercury had suddenly stopped in front of her. Venus almost tripped over her. Looking to see what had made Mercury stop so suddenly, she saw Jupiter and Nephrite.


	19. Chapter 19

"What?!"Venus had been so absorbed, staring up at the sky, that she hadn't been aware they had been walking straight to where Jupiter and Nephrite were.

Mercury had her hands clapped over her mouth.

"Oh, sorry."said Venus.

Jupiter looked like she was ready to kill Venus, and embarrassed as well.

"What are you guys doing here?!"she asked.

"Um, I guess I should return to the ballroom."Nephrite said, and walked away from them.

Venus curtsied as he walked past them. Mercury simply shrank away.

"Sorry, we had no clue you were here."Venus apologized.

"This was your suggestion!"Jupiter shot back.

"Oh, right…um…"she remembered. Somehow nothing seemed to be going the way she'd planned.

"You suggested that they be here alone?"Mercury looked shocked. "What if someone other than ourselves were to have seen them? Besides, we're supposed to be inside, with Princess Serenity! The Queen, Luna and Artemis will not be happy if they find out that we've been neglecting our duty, just to amuse ourselves!"

"It wouldn't give a very good image of us."admitted Venus. "I'm not sure what I was thinking, but why don't we forget all this, and, let's just go back inside."she suggested.

"Uh, sorry about that. I really didn't mean that to happen, but, you see, I was actually trying to stop Mercury from barging in."Venus told Jupiter later. "But never mind that,"she continued happily. "instead, why don't you tell me all the details!"

"I don't think I should listen to you anymore!"Jupiter said. "The only thing you've done is make a mess of things!"

"That wasn't my fault!"

"Well, it _was_ almost perfect this last time, but then you just showed up, and you ruined everything! I mean, if you'd just, even at least have hid in the bushes a little longer, I swear, he was about to kiss me! And you should've taken Mercury with you, too! But then you showed up!"

Venus sat and put her head in her hands.

"Just my bad luck! I think I must be cursed!"she said.

"I'm starting to think the same thing."Jupiter confirmed.

"Oh, well, at least now you know what type of attitude to take on next time."

"If there is a next time!"

"There will be! Take it from me!"

"I'm not taking advice from you anymore."

Venus put her hand on her hips, and frowned at Jupiter.

"Just you wait! I was just distracted because I have to help Mercury. You see, it looks like someone has their eye on her."

Hearing this bit of new, Jupiter seemed to have forgotten all about their argument.

"Mercury? Who?"she asked.

Venus giggled.

"Well, I don't think she wants anyone to find out, and I doubt she's noticed herself. But you see, she caught someone's attention during tea, and pretending he just wanted to talk to me, he tried to get more information about her from me."

"You still haven't told me who!"

"Well, the one whose hand you spilled the tea on."

Jupiter looked puzzled.

"But I don't understand. You've never even spoken to him. I was there the whole time."

"Well, both times your attention wasn't on anything other than your love life, wasn't it?"

Jupiter blushed.

"It was thanks to you that that hasn't been resolved yet!"

"Well, let's not argue over that now. Again. Instead, why don't we concentrate on our duties, like Mercury said."

She looked around the crowd, hoping to find Serenity.

"Maybe we should just stick by her for the rest of the evening."

Jupiter didn't look too thrilled.


	20. Chapter 20

Kunzite stood straight as a ramrod, his eyes taking in every detail. There certainly were fewer candidates then at any of the prior ball, but there was still plenty of competition. Besides, a few looked like they would rather be anywhere else then there. Maybe they'd give up already. And anyway, things certainly looked bright for Prince Endymion. If it had been anyone other than Kunzite they might have smiled at the fact that things weren't going so bad, but as Kunzite rarely smiled, if ever, he simply nodded.

Prince Endymion was now dancing a third time with Princess Serenity.

"I'm really flattered to be dancing with you a third time."he said.

"Well, no one else I've danced with dances so divinely."she answered. "Besides, I'm not really interested in listening about how well my genes would benefit the common pool, or even living on some primitive world, or enclosed with no fresh air! You must go outside on Earth often."

"Well, sometimes."

"I've seen pictures of beaches there. They seem to have more color. I've only been to the Sea of Serenity. The beaches there are much…grayer?"she said, unable to think of a better term to describe it.

Venus and Jupiter spotted them on the dance floor.

"It looks like the princess doesn't really need your help. Lucky her."Jupiter said.

Venus pretended not to hear the last part.

"Then why don't we dance?"she suggested.

Jupiter really wasn't too thrilled at the suggestion. After all, the only person she really wanted to dance with would be Nephrite, but he probably wouldn't.

"I really don't feel like dancing."she said.

"We can't just go on the dance floor by ourselves! We need partners! Besides, Mars is."she pointed out.

Mars didn't look too overjoyed, but they turned and saw that she was dancing with Jadeite, and she even appeared to be enjoying herself a bit.

"You know, your prince really must be very interested in our princess, isn't he?"she asked him.

"Isn't everyone here?"Jadeite answered.

Mars raised her eyebrows.

"Not everyone wishes to meet her in the middle of the night. Which I hope will not happen again."she added sternly. "The temperature here is controlled, since we are inside a dome, however, that doesn't stop it from hitting extremes sometimes. Not extremes, so extreme that the place freezes, but definitely cold or hot enough to make is seem…innate."

Jadeite dropped his hands, and gawped at her.

"Is there something wrong?"she asked.

"What are you talking about?"he demanded.

"Oh, surely you knew that the Moon isn't like Earth at all. In the sense that people can live freely on the surface. And stop that! If you don't want to dance, you could tell me, instead of just letting go, and pushing me! We're making a scene here!"

Jadeite nodded, and they walked away from the dance floor.

"Now, just what were you talking about!"he said again.

Mars rolled her eyes.

"I don't like it when people try to act stupid with me!"she put her hands on her hips. "Really, I don't have the patience! It's common sense, isn't it? Or don't you know that on Earth? You think that we live freely on the surface here?"she asked him.

"I didn't mean about that!"he said. "I meant the part about Prince Endymion wishing to meet Princess Serenity in the middle of the night."he waved his hand. "No. You see, it was the other way around. Princess Serenity was the one whom send Prince Endymion a note, saying she wished to meet him in the middle of the night!"

Mars stared at him.

"What? That's not true!"

Jadeite shook his head.

'Nope, I don't know why you're pretending!"Mars looked like she was beginning to get angry.

Normally Jadeite would've just walked away, but he was feeling pretty upset himself. After all, hadn't they endured almost two hours of Kunzite pacing back and forth, and yelling at them because they had put the prince in such a ridiculous light, and demanded to know which of them had come up with the 'brilliant' idea to write a false note, convince someone to give it to Kunzite, saying they were under orders to give it to Nephrite. Of course, normally Jadeite would just have forgotten about that. Kunzite was pretty paranoid, after all. But Kunzite had accused Jadeite of wanting to get attention, and demanded to know just why he had done it, and saying he didn't believe him when he said he didn't do it.

"I'm not pretending anything! You're the one who's pretending! I saw that note!"he hissed back at her.

"Are you saying…Princess Serenity sees people in the courtyards, during the night? Her suitors?"she said in a low voice.

Jadeite thought that he had made an error in accusing the princess. After all, Princess Mars looked very angry. He almost backed away. Her hands were curled into fists, and she looked like she would lunge and scratch his eyes out.

"I-I didn't mean that!"he stuttered. "I-just…well, it's what I thought. I mean, I saw the note."

That much was true, since Kunzite had shown it to him, and demanded that he stay up the rest of the night, writing out several long pieces of parchment, copying out of books, just so Kunzite could compare the handwriting.

"There never was any note."Mars said. "Prince Endymion send Princess Serenity that message by asking one of the valets, who told Venus, and she delivered the message to the princess!"she told him.

"I didn't mean to say anything bad about the Princess. Maybe…maybe it was someone else's idea."he suggested.

Mars stared at him.

"Like who?"she asked, crossing her arms.

"Like…I don't know."

He was starting to agree with Kunzite that this was very suspicious indeed.

"I think it's kind of suspicious, don't you?"he said.

She tapped her fan in the window sill, thinking.

"But who? Why?'

He shrugged.

"But if it wasn't the princess, I'd like to know who's at the bottom of this!"he said.

"Yes."she said. "Whoever it is, is certainly giving the princess a bad reputation!"


	21. Chapter 21

Jadeite nodded.

"You know, I'm determined to help in any way I can."he told her.

After all, he had paid for whoever had sent that note. Mars wasn't listening to him, but thinking.

"What do you think they're talking about?"asked Venus, looking at Mars and Jadeite. "She looks a little upset."

Jupiter wasn't paying much attention, but thinking just how she could possibly ask Nephrite to dance with her, without seeming too forward.

"Look!"Venus pointed.

Kunzite stood not too far from them, staring at the crowd. Following his eyes, Venus saw that he was looking at Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity. His attention turned to Mars when she spoke to him.

_What could Mars possibly have to say to that jerk,_ she wondered.

"Excuse me!"Mars said, as she approached Kunzite.

"Yes?"

She crossed her arms.

"It has come to my attention that you received a note, supposedly from Princess Serenity, stating that she wished to meet Prince Endymion."she said to him.

"That is so."he confirmed.

"I'd like to know exactly whom you got it from!"

Over her shoulder, Kunzite saw Jadeite. Jadeite simply wished he could disappear! He hadn't meant for Mars to confront Kunzite that same evening on the issue. Venus stood behind them, pretending to observe the gardens.

"I received it from a maid, who apparently was under orders to give it only to Nephrite."

Mars frowned.

"Did you notice anything about her?"she asked. "Do you think you could spot her again?"

"Definitely."

Venus almost fainted. She turned, and joined the conversation.

"Oh, but why would it be so important to identify someone?"she asked.

"Because whoever this someone is, is giving Princess Serenity the reputation of a…"Mars didn't finish her sentence.

"I think you're quite wrong."Venus told her.

She spotted one of the valets, with a tray of drinks, and she gestured for him to go towards them. She took a goblet of red wine.

"I mean, it's just obvious that Prince Endymion probably feels much more comfortable in a less…public setting, perhaps. After all, they both did seem rather enthusiastic during tea. Here, on the other hand, there's too many people, don't you think?"

"In the middle of the night?!"

Venus shrugged.

"If there's no other alternative!"

Shrugging again, she spilled all the wine on Kunzite.

"Ah! My shirt!"

"Oops! I'm _so_ sorry! I just forget myself sometimes! I thought that I was holding the fan with that hand, so that's why I waved it, but I was holding the goblet! Dear me! You should wash that out immediately!"she suggested helpfully.

Several people turned to stare. And they could hear someone snickering. Kunzite turned, and walked out of the room, very upset.

"Like I said, I forget myself sometimes! Ha ha!"

Jadeite burst out laughing. Venus smiled and walked away. Of course, it would have been much better to have spiked his drink, or something, and have him do something extremely embarrassing in front of everybody, but she'd had to think quickly. Besides, from what happened, she could see that staining his uniform with the wine had been a good idea. It would probably be something he would remember every time he saw someone sipping wine. She giggled to herself. Serve him right, for having stopped her from delivering Jupiter's note to its rightful owner, and having humiliated her.

"Did you see?"she asked Jupiter, when she reached her again.

"See what?"

"I just stained his shirtfront with the wine!"

Jupiter looked puzzled.

"Whose?"

"That jerk, who else!"she said happily. "The one who stopped me from giving your note to Nephrite, and who gave to Endymion, causing this whole mess!"

Jupiter smiled.

"Ha! Although you should have let me do it!"

"Oh, but it was too perfect!"

"Well, at least that's one good thing that's happened tonight!"she said.

"It sure is!"

Not noticing that Mars and Jadeite were having a whispered conference in the other end of the room, little did they know that there would be much more to come. Jupiter seemed much happier than she had been when Venus had run to join Mars, Jadeite and Kunzite. And now, having embarrassed Kunzite in front of an entire group of people, Venus forgot she ever had a grudge against him, and began to go back to her cheery self.


	22. Chapter 22

"I think we should find whoever gave him that note."said Mars, frowning.

Jadeite nodded, however, he seemed more awed at how shiny her hair was in the light, than at what she was saying.

"I'm just not sure how we're going to find her!"she frowned.

"Asking around."he suggested.

She shook her head.

"There are too many people in the Moon Palace."

"Well, maybe the same person who gave us the note gave one to you?"he suggested.

Mars looked up, and snapped her fan closed.

"No one gave us any note. Venus gave us a message."she said.

Jadeite remained silent.

"You know…you don't suppose…no."she discarded that thought immediately.

If Venus had been the one planning to have Princess Serenity meet Prince Endymion in the middle of the night, she'd probably have planned several such episodes, for several suitors, not just Endymion. Besides, she showed no signs that Endymion was the perfect husband for Serenity. That was completely out of the question.

"I was thinking that perhaps Venus could have been the one to have staged all this."she explained to Jadeite.

He looked confused.

"But of course, that's impossible. She can over react a little, but no, simply impossible."she shook her head.

"So, do you have any one else in mind?"he asked her.

"I'm thinking…I'm thinking…"she got up. "I think I need some time alone to meditate on this."she simply said, and she left the room.

"What?!"Jadeite stood up.

He was about to grab her arm, and stop her, asking her for one more dance, but she disappeared into the crowd before he could reach her. He frowned, and stamped his foot, even though he knew the act would seem childish, and if Kunzite saw him behaving in such a manner, he would certainly be hearing about it for the rest of the month. He crossed his arms. Really, why did he have to mention that stupid note! Now he was stuck here for the rest of the evening. The only reason he had been looking forward to this stupid ball was just to speak, to introduce himself to the one he considered the most beautiful of the Moon Princess's guardians. And now, he was stuck here, alone.

"Damn it!"he muttered to himself.

"Not enjoying yourself very much, are you, Jadeite?"he heard Zoicite's voice.

Jadeite looked up, and shrugged.

"I would probably enjoy myself a little more…"he stopped. "You haven't seen Princess Mercury, have you?"

"No. I haven't really seen anyone. Too many new people, I guess."

Zoicite nodded, and left.

"See, it's perfect!"Venus kept insisting.

"I'm not doing something like that!"Jupiter was blushing, as she said to Venus furiously.

"Why not?"Venus insisted happily.

Jupiter looked at her as though she were insane. Venus rolled her eyes.

"I really do have to do all of this myself, don't I?"she said. "See, you just talk to him, when I go over, and get the musicians to play something really romantic, and then you say something like, oh, this is my favorite, I've always wanted this in the arms of a really handsome guy who's standing right next to me, or something!"

Jupiter blushed and looked away. Venus put her hands on her hips.

"All right, never mind! Here's what we'll do. I will go and tell the musicians to start playing when I give the signal, and then I'll talk to him, and just sort of hint, at how nice it would be if he danced with you, or something."

"You better not say or do something to embarrass me!"Jupiter warned her.

"Of course not! Why would I do that?"

"You have a way of just embarrassing anyone you want to help, Venus."

Jupiter grabbed her shoulders, and spoke quickly.

"Just tell him how…I like, well, anything he says he likes, that I make the best cookies, fudge, whatever, that you've ever tasted, um, what if you told him, no, it wouldn't be a good idea for him to know that I like gardening too much, he might think I like to get dirty, and that I'm filthy, or wait, I've already told him I like gardening, um….well, you come up with something, but make it something really impressive, I don't know."

Venus smiled.

"Of course, don't you worry!"she assured Jupiter.

Jupiter smiled back.

"Well, what should I do while you talk to him?"

"Just stay right here, where I can see you, and just try to act like you don't know anything, you know. Just stay calm, and smile. That'd be sure to get his attention!"Venus instructed her.

"Fine! Then, hurry!"she pushed her.

"I could've tripped and injured myself, you know."

Jupiter glared at her.

"Go!"

"I'm going, I'm going!"


	23. Chapter 23

Jupiter patted her hair, knowing that it was perfect all along. Otherwise, she would not have permitted herself to have left her bedroom that evening. But it never hurt to make absolutely sure. She opened her peacock fan to its widest, and started fanning herself, and looking unconcerned, just as Venus had suggested. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Venus approach Nephrite. She fanned herself more vigorously, as she began to feel nervous, but remembered to not blow her hair out of place. She tried to concentrate instead on the princess who was now dancing with someone who appeared to commenting on the decorations.

"Hello! Lovely evening, isn't it?"asked Venus as she approached Nephrite.

"Yes, I think it is."he agreed.

"So, enjoying yourself yet?"she asked him.

"Much more than any of the previous ones."he nodded.

She smiled. Really, she must figure out a way to have the Queen hear those comments! After all, most of the work that went into these things was hers. Well, everyone helped, but she was the one who did most of the work, wasn't she?

"I organized most of this."she said, feeling pleased with herself.

"Congratulations. You did a great job."he said.

Venus turned, and saw Jupiter observing them. She looked at Venus expectantly.

"Oh, you've probably met Jupiter, haven't you?"she asked.

"Of course."Nephrite smiled.

"She really is quite talented, you know. She never fails to impress anyone."she emphasized.

"I can certainly believe that."he affirmed.

After all, she had certainly impressed him. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.

"But of course you believe it! I'm telling you, aren't I? And you just haven't been here, to see the enormous numbers of suitors who come supposedly to court Princess Serenity, but instead end up courting Jupiter."she laughed. "That's just how charming my friend is! She really has a lot of guys courting her!"

Nephrite frowned. Really, did she? He looked in her direction. She was alone, of course. But that probably was because as she had told him the first time they met. It was Princess Serenity's ball, though in his opinion no matter for whom the ball was, Jupiter was the one who stood out most. Was what she basically telling him was that Jupiter was a flirt? She looked pretty calm, standing there, but perhaps that was just one of her methods. After all, she did look quite extraordinary.

"-and like I was saying,"Venus continued. "Are you listening to me?"

"What?"he drew his attention away from Jupiter.

"I don't like being ignored!"she said.

"I'm sorry."

"Ah!"she closed her eyes, listening to the music. "Don't you think that's just the most romantic piece you've ever heard?"she asked.

"Would you like to dance it?"he asked her.

"Oh, I've already promised this dance!"she giggled. "I really can't risk being a wallflower, can I? However, I know for a fact that Jupiter hasn't promised it to anyone. Why not ask her? I know she'll be thrilled to dance with you! It's her favorite!"she insisted.

Before Nephrite could say anything Venus was pulling him towards the spot where Jupiter was standing. In minutes he was next to her.

"Oh, I had no idea you were there, Jupiter!"Venus pretended to act surprised. "Nephrite here was just telling me just how much he would love to dance this waltz with you!"

"Oh, really!"exclaimed Jupiter. "I was just thinking it would be divine to dance with you!"she looked up at Nephrite.

Nephrite knew there was no way out of this one now, as Venus walked away, and Jupiter looked up at him expectantly. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Jupiter waltzed happily, thanking the gods that Venus hadn't messed this up. Knowing her she would probably have said something that would've turned Nephrite off her.

"Oh, this really is divine!"she said happily, thinking she'd never felt happier in her life.

Nephrite wondered if she said that to all the other men she had danced with. Venus had certainly insinuated that much.

"Is something wrong?"she asked, her smile disappearing, as she noticed the frown on his face.

"No."he lied, and smiled.

Her smiled returned. Nephrite thought she looked extraordinary when she smiled. _That's probably why she's smiling in the first place,_ he thought.

"I noticed that Princess Venus is particulary observant."he said to her.

"Oh? Really?"she asked. "She just likes to dramatize everything! She's just bubbling over with energy!"

Over his shoulder, Jupiter saw Kunzite walk into the room again. She giggled, remembering Venus staining his shirt.

"But why don't we not talk about her."Jupiter suggested. "Instead, why don't you tell me about the stars? How did you learn to communicate with them? I can never get used to the sight of them. On Jupiter the cloud cover is too thick."


	24. Chapter 24

Mercury wondered the halls, glad to get away from the crowd. Despite herself, she had spent much of the evening observing Zoicite. To make sure he didn't notice her, she told herself. She didn't understand, though, just why it bothered her so much when she saw him dance, speak to, or even smile at any of the other women. _I'm just being ridiculous,_ she told herself. Besides, with a little luck, this might be over soon. Princess Serenity seemed to be giving her attention mostly to the prince of Earth. Mercury crossed her fingers that it was because she had decided to choose him.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Mercury almost fell backwards.

"What?!"

She looked up to see Zoicite standing before her.

"I thought you were-"she began.

"I got lost on my way back from the bathroom."he said.

Mercury looked confused. How could anyone get lost on their way back? Zoicite didn't know whether she had believed him or not. He hadn't really gotten lost, but had actually followed her. He had tried to speak to her every other way he could think of, but each time he did, she always seemed to disappear. Into a crowd, to the opposite side of the room, or she seemed to remember something she had to do, and took off. He thought it was time for drastic measures, if necessary.

"I was trying to get back to the ballroom. Wouldn't you lead me? I could take directions, but I'm so horrible, and I might end up worse off."he said.

She nodded.

"Yes, I was just heading back myself."she said stiffly.

"Why don't we dance the next one as well?"Jupiter asked, as the waltz ended.

She should've made Venus make them play a longer one. It seemed too short.

"Um, Kunzite is back."said Nephrite, looking at the entrance, and trying to think of some way to change the subject.

Jupiter turned.

"Oh."she said, not really knowing what that to do with her question. She nodded. "I see. Well, will you dance the next one with me, or won't you?"she asked him again.

"Um."Nephrite looked unsure. "Perhaps the one after."he suggested.

Jupiter tried not to look to disappointed.

"Oh, well, all right."she agreed.

Jadeite stared gloomily around the room. He wished he hadn't opened his mouth, and gotten her all worked up over that note. Then maybe she wouldn't have taken off, and she'd be here, speaking to him, for one. Maybe even dancing with him?

"Will you dance this one with me?"Zoicite asked Mercury when they entered the ballroom.

Mercury looked at him in surprise.

"Um, I don't dance."she said.

"I'll teach you."he answered.

"Oh, no, I know how, I was taught, but…I don't dance. I don't dance often. I'm not very good."

"Well, I'm not that good, either."he said. "So I'll forgive you any mistakes. And you must forgive me mine. We even out that way."

"Um, well, all right, I guess. But just this once."she insisted.

Jupiter went back to Venus.

"How'd it go? See, I told you it'd work!"

Jupiter didn't look too happy.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. He didn't really speak very much to me."she said.

Venus frowned.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Like he was…I don't know."

"That's odd!"Venus scratched her head. "Hmmm."

"Do you think he likes someone else?"

"No, impossible! Not after all I told him about you!"Venus insisted.

"Well, what did you tell him?"asked Jupiter.

"All of your good points, of course. What else?"


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning, Serenity put down her cup of coffee, and looked at the other four girls.

"I think I know just who I like!"she told them.

Everyone looked up expectantedly.

"I would like to marry Prince Endymion."she said, her eyes sparkling.

Mercury who had been sipping her coffee, spat it out, and coughed.

"What?!"

Mars looked at her in surprise. Jupiter couldn't conceal her glee. If Princess Serenity married Prince Endymion, while all the other suitors left, Nephrite would, of course, stay with the prince. Venus looked overjoyed.

"That's just exactly whom I had in mind for you from the very beginning, Princess!"she exclaimed.

"Then, does that mean we start the wedding preparations right away?"Mars asked.

"Well, first, we have to let everyone know, don't we?"

Jupiter leapt up from her seat, causing the chair to topple backwards, and crash into an expensive vase behind it.

"Oops."

She rang for someone to come and pick up the pieces.

"Well, there'll probably be tons more for the wedding gifts."said Venus happily.

Mars sipped her coffee, and looking around, decided that perhaps it was best to tell everyone. After all, it would be best to clear everything up before things went too far.

"You know, there was something I wanted to say just last night."she told them, frowning.

"What is it?"asked Serenity.

"Well, you remember that…meeting with Prince Endymion?"she asked.

"Of course."

"Well, last night, as I was dancing with Jadeite, he's one of the Prince's guardians, you know, he said something rather…peculiar."

Everyone looked concerned.

"You see, he said that Princess Serenity had sent a note."

"What?"

Venus dropped her fork.

"Impossible!"she said.

"I know."Mars told her. "I just don't know what to make of it! I've been thinking about this all night! I can't come up with a solution!"

Venus and Jupiter exchanged glances.

"Well, that's past now, isn't it?"Jupiter asked.

Mars frowned.

"I don't know."

"Who cares?"said Venus happily. "We have a wedding to plan! We have to let the Queen know as well!"

She skipped out of the room.

"Perhaps you ought to think it over better, Princess!"suggested Mercury, who had remained quiet through most of the conversation.

Everyone turned to stare.

"Maybe…maybe you're making a mistake?"

"How could there be a mistake?"asked Jupiter. "Princess Serenity chose him, and Venus agrees with her. After all, when have you heard of a couple that any Venusian has gotten together, who have not been perfect for one another? Or, any couple that any Venusian has supported gone wrong?"

"I…I guess I should probably get started on the invitations?"she said.

She really had hoped that Princess Serenity making a choice would put an end to this whole mess! She didn't know why, but after Serenity had mentioned Endymion, she realized that if Endymion stayed, Zoicite would as well. She didn't understand. Zoicite always make her uneasy.

Jupiter had realized the same thing as Mercury, of course, but she reacted differently. When Serenity had mentioned that she had decided, her heart had almost stopped for a while. If she decided in favor of anyone, more than likely, Nephrite would be on his way back to Earth maybe that very afternoon! She didn't want to think what would've happened if Serenity hadn't made the right choice.

"Now, if I can only just…"she began to herself. "Oh, well! If things are going so well for now, they're bound to be in my favor later!"

She was almost jumping up and down, as she ran to catch up with Venus to tell the Queen the news.


	26. Chapter 26

Everyone looked up, as they saw Kunzite approaching. He was wearing what was for Kunzite a look of pure delight. With Kunzite it was always heard to tell, of course. Kunzite hardly ever let on that anything that was going on in his head, which Nephrite always pointed out, was a good thing. He said Kunzite probably never expressed anything, because if he did, he'd probably bore the entire world to death. Secretly, the other two agreed with him.

"What's the matter, Kunzite?"Endymion asked.

"It appears that we're staying at the Moon Palace much longer than we thought."he said.

"You mean…?"asked Jadeite.

"Of course! Your mother will be very happy to hear of this, Your Highness!"Kunzite answered.

Zoicite smiled broadly and clapped his hands.

"Well, we knew that with Kunzite's coaching, failure is never possible, is it? Of course, I must say that where the princess was concerned, I had my doubts. She'd have had nightmares about you if you'd followed any of Kunzite's advice."Zoicite told Endymion.

Everyone laughed, and Kunzite looked murderously at Zoicite.

"This really isn't a joking matter."he said coldly.

"Everything here is a joking matter."Jadeite said.

Everyone turned toward Jadeite.

"Apparently, that little midnight meeting was someone's idea of a joke, you know."he told everyone else. "I found out the note wasn't from the princess after all, and that she thought that Prince Endymion had been the one who'd planned it all. So you see,"he glared at Kunzite. "It wasn't me at all. I can prove it! You can ask Princess Mars! She told me herself!"

Kunzite frowned, and scratched his chin.

"This is even more suspicious than I thought."he said.

"But I saw the note."Endymion said.

Jadeite shook his head.

"Nope."

Kunzite stood up.

"I will speak personally to Princess Venus about this. This is a matter that must be discussed, and solved as soon as possible."he said, shaking his head.

"I really don't think it's that important, do you, Kunzite?"asked Endymion.

"I actually do, sir. It's very suspicious. Whoever is behind all this must be after something, and might seriously damage if not ruin your chances completely."

"You really think?"Zoicite gasped.

Kunzite nodded.

"Of course."

"Then what are we waiting for! We've got to find whoever this is!"

Jadeite cleared his throat, as though to remind Kunzite that he owed him an apology, not jut for suspecting him, either. No one seemed to mind. Endymion looked confused. Nephrite looked amused, and Zoicite even scared. Jadeite fumed. How come no one ever paid him attention when they should? He gritted his teeth.

"I'm going to speak to Princess Venus."said Kunzite, and he turned and left the room.

"You know, he could at least have apologized!"complained Jadeite as soon as Kunzite had left the room. "Do you know my hand hasn't felt the same since he made me write that note a billion times!"

"He seems to be taking this very seriously."Endymion commented.

"I just don't know why he would've thought I did it."

"Let's face it, Jadeite, something like that was surely up your alley. Who else would've?"Nephrite laughed.

"There are a lot of people in this place! Anyone!"Jadeite fumed. "Now I'm almost sure it was one of you! You probably arranged it, so Kunzite would think it was me, and I'd end up paying for it, didn't you!"

"Why would I waste my time trying to make you look bad in front of Kunzite, Jadeite?"Nephrite asked. "You do it much better than I ever could."

Endymion and Zoicite laughed.

"He does have a point."said Endymion.

"When they find out the one who did this, I will make sure Kunzite makes them write for an entire week!"he told them.

Of course, Jadeite was sure it was one of them. That they wouldn't admit it was something else, but now that Kunzite was aware of the situation, he knew that Kunzite wouldn't stop until he got to the bottom of it. And when he did, Nephrite or Zoicite would be sorry they'd ever played that trick on him. Zoicite wasn't really concerned about the note, but was wondering if Mercury knew anything about the fact that they'd be staying longer. Even if she did, he thought he should go and tell her himself. It would be a great excuse to see her as well. Despite the appearance of being unconcerned about everything, Nephrite was upset, wondering just how upset Jupiter probably was now that most of the guys were going to leave the Moon. Or maybe she was looking forward to the crowds that were going to be coming for the wedding.


	27. Chapter 27

"Well, what do you think it could possibly be?"asked Jupiter anxiously. "I mean, it's like…he just suddenly stopped speaking to me! Do you think it's because he likes someone else!"she gasped.

Venus shook her head.

"Of course not! After everything I said about you! How could he possibly even think of anyone else! I mean, I even made it clear that you were the center of attention at all events! Even with Princess Serenity there! That you were knee deep in admirers!"

Jupiter stopped in her tracks.

"What?"

"Well, I just made it clear how lucky he was, if he ever got your attention!"

"You…"Jupiter wanted to strangle her. "You told him I-but I don't have any other admirers! You-I should've known! Knowing you, you probably made it sound like I-"she was about to grab her throat and strangle her, when they heard someone enter.

"Oh, hello! We weren't expecting anyone!"said Venus, glad that someone had come to her rescue.

"You and I will talk later!"Jupiter told her, and walked out.

"She's got such a temper! He he!"she said nervously.

She looked up at her rescuer, and almost fainted. It was Kunzite.

"Well, I'm sorry to have interrupted, but I have to discuss a matter of extreme urgency with you."he told her.

"Really?"she asked.

Of course, it was probably about his stupid shirt. But he deserved that.

"It has come to my attention that the note I received some few days ago, was not from Princess Serenity."

_Well, of course it wasn't, you idiot, and if you hadn't have stopped me from giving it to Nephrite, none of this would be happening, _she thought, listening to him.

"I want to know exactly who it was from. Normally, I would've simply dismissed it, however, now that Princess Serenity, and Prince Endymion will be wed, it's a matter of extreme importance and urgency that we find the culprit. They might have other motives, we don't know what they're after, and they might do great harm."

Venus stared at him.

"Um, well,"she began. "There never was any note. There was a message from Prince Endymion. I received it."

"Perfect! I see made the right decision in coming to you! You see, there never was any message either! We must get to the bottom of this! As soon as possible! You can count on me, I will not rest until I find who is behind all of this!"

"Uh, but I really don't see what's so important, you see, um, it's obvious what happened. Prince Endymion simply wanted to see Princess Serenity in the middle of the night, didn't he?"

"No. That's just why I want to find out who's behind all of this, and what their intentions are!"

"I'm sure it's all just a mistake."Venus insisted.

What would she do if Kunzite decided to start a hunt for whomever had given him the note? She had, after all.

"No. I'm convinced there was something else involved."

"I think you're exaggerating, and a bit paranoid perhaps."said Venus.

He frowned.

"That may be, but I still intend to get to the bottom of this. And for starters, I would like to speak to _every_ maid in this Palace. I received the note from one of them. I don't know if she worked in the kitchen, was a lady's maid, a parlor's maid, anything. I insist on speaking to all of them, to find her. Perhaps I will recognize her when I see her."

"Everyone?"asked Venus in a small voice.

He nodded.

"Every single one."

Venus felt her knees go weak. If this…jerk decided to start a full scale search, she knew that he wouldn't find the girl, no matter where he looked. Simply because there had been no girl. She had dressed herself up. Had anyone seen her? Oh, great, now things were worse than before. She began considering that perhaps she should tell Princess Serenity that Prince Endymion wasn't a good match for her after all. But then she'd have to think of a good reason, and after all, it wasn't true. And it might not work out with any of the others. Besides, it was probably too late. Everyone who hadn't left was preparing to leave by now. And to give the prince a message saying the princess had change her mind? That would be disastrous! What was she going to do?


	28. Chapter 28

Venus ran to find Jupiter. As it was, Jupiter was waiting for her. As soon as she ran in, panting Jupiter ran up to her and started to pull her hair.

"Ah! What are you doing?"she screamed.

"Just why did I have to trust you! You just ruined my chances!"Jupiter screamed as she pulled her hair, and hit her with pillows, and anything within reach.

"We'll make it right, don't worry! Now we've got a bigger problem!"

Jupiter let go of her and crossed her arms.

"Really?! What could that be?"

Venus panted, and tried to smooth her hair.

"It looks like there's a mad search for the person who delivered your note!"

"What note?"

"The one that ended up in Prince Endymion's hands, that was supposed to be for Nephrite!"

Jupiter clenched her fists.

"Don't you remind me of that if you don't want me to beat you up!"she told her.

"The point is, like I said, they're searching for the person who gave it to him!"

"Just tell him it was you!"

Venus looked shocked.

"I can't do that!"

"Well, don't count on me!"

Venus looked desperate.

"But you have to! We have to figure out a way to get out of this mess!"

"You got us into it! You get out of it! And besides, you still have to straighten out that mess you got me into with Nephrite!"

Jupiter left the room angrily. Venus groaned. What was she supposed to do now! She had to figure out a way to get Kunzite to believe that there was no conspiracy, and then, also to tell Nephrite she, no, she couldn't tell anyone she'd lied. That would put her in a bad light. Well, was it her fault that idiot had misinterpreted what she said? Of course, not! She ran her fingers through her hair. She had to think of something! Quickly, too! Well, she'd have to solve the most immediate problem first. That was what she'd do. If only someone could help…no, impossible, but wait, not impossible! She could get someone to help her! She ran to find Zoicite.

Zoicite was thinking what he could possibly say to Mercury, how to best bring up the subject of them staying at the Moon Palace…he had gone through several things in his head, but none seemed to work. He heard a knock on the door and Princess Venus walked in. She looked a bit disheveled, and was panting. He wondered what had happened to her.

"I need your help with something!"she said without preamble. "You know I can help you with Mercury, but in return, I need your help urgently!"

Zoicite looked surprised. She came looking as though she'd been in a fight, and asking for his help.

"Look, I'm sure you know Kunzite, right? Well, I need you to figure out a way to stop this search for some conspirator, or something about that note!"she said to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry."said Zoicite. "That'll really be impossible, you see! Once Kunzite sets his mind to something, he won't stop until he's achieved it. And he seems to take this thing about the note very seriously, you see. We thought it was just something…without importance, but Kunzite insists we have to get to the bottom of it."he shrugged.

Venus slapped her forehead.

"There has to be something!"she asked, desperately.

"Uh, that would be too hard."Zoicite said. "The only way to stop his paranoia would be to find the culprit."

Venus groaned.

"Well, I think I have an idea what we're going to do about that. And you can help me there. And there's something else, you see, I need you to do. You see, in exchange for my convincing Mercury to pay attention to you, you have to fix something. You see, um, I'm not sure why, but Nephrite is under the impression that Jupiter is, um, well, see, that she, well the point is, she's interested in him, and in a…desperate attempt to get him to notice her, um, Mars told him that he had a lot of competition, and that see, seems to have made him give up. If you could just…well, make it clear to him that, I don't know, she only has eyes for him, or something."

Zoicite looked confused.

"Look, just talk to him, and just make him notice her! Um, I'll take care of Mercury, and Kunzite as well."she smiled, nodded, and ran out of the room.

Zoicite scratched his head. What was that all about? He wondered. Oh, well, if it meant that she would help him with Mercury, he'd gladly force Nephrite to court Jupiter. He didn't know what she was talking about, though. Oh, well, he wouldn't worry about it. Perhaps he ought to get going. The sooner he spoke to Nephrite, perhaps, the sooner he might be courting Mercury. With that, he smiled to himself, and went to find Nephrite.


	29. Chapter 29

Meanwhile, Venus was walking up and down, thinking. Thinking hard. She had to find someone who would be willing to pretend to be the girl who gave the note to Kunzite. Maybe if she just convinced someone. But whom? Or, she could tell Kunzite that it had been the princess or the queen herself who had dressed up and given him the note. No, that would put the princess and the queen in a very bad light. Besides, the princess would probably not even pay much attention to her. Or she'd be in major trouble. Especially if she told the queen. That was definitely out. Maybe one of the other girls? No, she couldn't count on them on this mess. She wished Zoicite would have helped her with this as well. Oh, great, Zoicite. That was something else, she had to straighten out the mess with Mercury. She'd handle that later. Just talking to Mercury would be enough…she'd have to convince her aswell.

Zoicite almost crashed into Nephrite.

"Watch where you're going!"said Nephrite.

"I was looking for you."Zoicite told him.

"What for?"

"Well, you know, now that Prince Endymion is going to marry the Moon Princess, and he's not one hundred percent on my mind, I was just going to say…you know, um, at the last ball, it certainly seemed like Princess Jupiter was flattered by your attention."

Nephrite frowned.

"I think she's flattered by everyone's attention."

"Really! Look, I heard that she only has eyes for you,"he decided to use this term, to make it seem much more dramatic and romantic. "and I heard it from Princess Venus herself! I mean, who would know her better."said Zoicite casually.

"Princess Venus was precisely the one who told me the exact opposite."

Zoicite almost lost his balance.

"What? What are you talking about? Why would she lie?"

Zoicite was shocked. Nephrite looked equally shocked.

"Why would she make all this up?"

Zoicite realized instantly that she could probably do the same to Mercury. He gasped, and turned.

"We'd need another opinion!"he said desperately. "And I think I know just who should tell us!"

They took off.

"And what are we going to do about the other one?"

"Well, she'll certainly have some explaining to do! Getting my hopes up like that, when in reality, she's probably planning to ruin my chances!"Zoicite said.

Nephrite nodded.

Meanwhile, Venus was putting a plan together in her head. It would be simple, but a bit complicated. She would have to be extremely careful. She gathered her skirts, and began to put her plan into action.


	30. Chapter 30

Zoicite and Nephrite ran into the library. Sitting at one table in the room, with several books piled in front of her was Mercury. She looked up, expecting to see perhaps some of the staff entering, with some chores to do. She looked surprised to see it was Nephrite and Zoicite. Normally, she wouldn't mind, and Nephrite didn't bother her, but she always felt uncomfortable with Zoicite. She got up, and made to leave.

"Just a second,"said Zoicite. "We need to talk to you!"

Mercury sat down, and looked at her hands in her lap.

"Um, yes."

"You know Princess Jupiter well, don't you?"demanded Nephrite, without prologue.

"Um, well, I do."she answered.

Zoicite looked angrily at Nephrite for speaking to Mercury like that. He was only intimidating her more!

"I want to know everything you know of everyone who courts her."Nephrite demanded.

Mercury looked confused.

"No one. Not really. I don't know if it's because, um, of her height. I've read that could be an issue. You know, she might be comfortable if he's shorter than she is. But the few that have shown any interest in courting her, she's never shown any interest in them. No."she shook her head, wondering why Nephrite could possibly be interested in it.

Zoicite kicked Nephrite under the table. Nephrite ignored him.

"Then why do…certain people say she's, knee deep in men?"he asked.

Mercury looked shocked.

"Slander! Who would say such a thing! Why, if it was…oh, you know lying about anyone, anything that might hurt their reputation is completely against our customs here! They…they should be punished! And most severely!"Mercury looked very indignant. After all, Jupiter was a friend of hers, whom she held in high respect. The thought that anyone could possibly be spreading such rumors angered her.

"Whom I heard it from really isn't important."said Nephrite, he seemed satisfied with Mercury's answer. "The important thing is that I know the truth now, and thank you."he said. "And now, if you'll only excuse me."he got up, bowed, and left the room.

Mercury was still fuming. She was waving her arms in the air, and talking incoherently.

Venus added the last touch of her costume as she pinned up her hair before the mirror. Perfect. Only it was time to move on to phase two. She walked out, and to her luck, met Kunzite almost right away.

"I would like to talk to you."she told him.

He bowed, and answered, "Of course, Pr-"he stopped, and looked at her in shock. "But-"he began, and looked back.

Venus had decided that she would disguise herself as Princess Serenity, and force Kunzite to stop his investigation.

"Wait a minute!"he said. "Of course!"he grabbed her wrist, and pulled her.

"What are you doing to me!"she demanded. "Unhand me at once! Oh, I will report you, and you will be so sorry you're treating me like this!"

"Really?"he asked, carelessy.

He took her outside, and before she knew it, she was facing the real Princess Serinity, speaking to Prince Endymion, and looking up at the stars. They turned, and saw Kunzite, with Venus. Endymion simply looked confused.

"Venus?"asked Serenity.

Kunzite dropped her arm, and looked at her with a look of surprise on his face.

"What? Is it possible?"he asked. "It appears that I have found the one who is responsible for having provoked the midnight encounter. I knew that whoever had done it would be up to no good, and as soon as I came across her in the corridor, I knew she must be behind it! I cannot believe it would be Princess Venus, though!"

"How could you have known?"

"I saw the prince and princess through the window, just after I encountered you."he told her.

"It was you, Venus?"Serenity asked her.

"Well, yes, and no!"she said, and went on to explain everything. "So, you see,"she finished. "The only one responsible is him!"she pointed at Kunzite. "He not only acted like such a jerk to _me_, but he also caused this whole mess! I demand an apology!"

Several months later, while everyone threw rice and flower petals at the newlyweds, Venus looked satisfied. After all, it had been through her own handiwork that not only had Nephrite and Jupiter worked everything out, but that they know had absolutely no doubts as to their feelings for each other. She didn't dare say anything out loud, because she was sure no one would appreciate her work. But she didn't mind. Mars and Jadeite seemed to get along fine, and she had spent hours trying to convince Mercury to give Zoicite a chance, but she had kept her promise, and it seemed that she was willing to give him a chance.

**Stay tuned for the sequel, and find out what happens to all of the other couples in Senshi Shitenou Weddings**


End file.
